The media learned that Trump allegedly plans to hold negotiations with Putin on Ukraine and Georgia.
Donald Trump if he wins in the US presidential elections could force NATO to abandon its expansion to the east, as well as deprive some countries of the Alliance of “defensive generosity and security guarantees of the United States.”
The American publication Politico writes about this with reference to former officials and experts.
The publication assumes that even if Trump does not officially withdraw the United States from Alliance, this does not mean that NATO will survive Trump's second term unchanged.
In exchange for continued US involvement, Trump not only expects European countries to dramatically increase their spending on NATO (his main complaint when he was president), but also does what defense expert Dan Caldwell describes as a “radical reorientation” of NATO. Caldwell is familiar with the thinking within Trump's circle of national security advisers.
According to Politico sources, The US will maintain its nuclear umbrella over Europe during Trump's second term, maintaining its air force and bases in Germany, England and Turkey, as well as its military naval forces. Meanwhile, the bulk of infantry, armor, logistics and artillery will eventually move from American to European shoulders.
Dan Caldwell, who recently served as a senior adviser to Trump, explained that this is a “significant and significant reduction in the US security role – a retreat from being the main supplier of fighting force in Europe, providing support only during crisis”.
Two-tier NATO system
Another part of Trump's new plan is the two-tier NATO system. This idea means that member countries that have not yet reached the defense spending target of ~60>2 percent of GDP “will not benefit from the defense largesse and security guarantee of the United States.”
This could be considered a violation of Article 5 of the treaty, which obliges each member to take “such action as he deems necessary” to assist anyone who was attacked. But members of Trump's foreign policy think tank noted that the language of Article 5 is flexible and does not require any member to respond with military force.
Trump has repeatedly expressed irritation that NATO allies are allegedly cheating the United States by falling short of the 2% spending target. More recently, Trump appeared to encourage Russia to attack NATO defenders, saying he would “encourage” the Russians to “do whatever they want” with member countries that have not yet met defense spending targets.
War in Ukraine
The publication notes that a key role in Trump’s plans for NATO will likely be played by an early solution to a full-scale war in Ukraine.
“As part of the plan for Ukraine , previously unreported, the likely GOP nominee is mulling an agreement under which NATO would commit not to expand eastward, particularly into Ukraine and Georgia – and is negotiating with Russian President Putin about how much Ukrainian territory Moscow can keep for itself,” two other national security experts with ties to Trump told the publication.
Overall, Trump's new approach in these areas would mean a revolution in NATO affairs, Politico notes.
In April, The Washington Post reported that Trump's preliminary plan included pressuring Ukraine to hand over Crimea and Donbass to Russia.
GOP spokesman Don Bacon told reporters that Trump was dismissive of Kyiv's goal of expelling the Russians, which is Biden's persistent policy. “He says, 'If Ukraine wins, what good will it do for the United States,'” Bacon said.
Elbridge Colby, a leading adviser to former US President Donald Trump, sharply criticized Macron's proposal to send French troops to Ukraine.
To Latvian President Edgars Rinkevich's phrase Russia delenda est, Colby responded sharply negatively: “Russia must be destroyed? It has 6 thousand nuclear warheads. The joy with which they approach escalation seems crazy to me.” .
Trump himself has not publicly announced his plans for Ukraine, but during the campaign he repeatedly promised to end the war as one of his top priorities.
Earlier, information appeared in the Western media that two Trump advisers allegedly presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine if he wins the US presidential election. In this plan, in particular, it is said that Ukraine will receive military assistance only when it begins peace negotiations with the Russian Federation and agrees to territorial concessions.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky commented on Donald Trump’s idea to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours.
According to WSJ, NATO is developing a plan to protect military aid to Ukraine from Trump.
Related topics:
More news
