Stoltenberg’s emphasis on the fair distribution of military expenses in NATO

According to the international group Tasnim news agency quoted by “NTV” Germany, Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) called for unity between North America and Europe during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO. : Two World Wars, the Cold War and every challenge we have faced since then have taught us that we need each other. Stoltenberg said: I do not believe in America alone. He emphasized in his speech: As I do not believe in Europe alone, I believe in America and Europe together. However, “equitable burden sharing” of defense spending is essential. Stoltenberg said European allies have world-class military forces, extensive intelligence networks and unique diplomatic influence that multiply America’s power. . He also said: Through NATO, the United States will have more friends and allies than any other major power. Stoltenberg said: We are stronger and safer together. However, at the same time, a fair distribution of burdens is necessary.

With these comments, Stoltenberg is probably mainly aimed at former US President Donald Trump, who is again running for the Republicans in the November US elections. will be nominated. During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump repeatedly criticized NATO and sometimes even threatened to withdraw the United States from the alliance. Trump recently made it clear during the election campaign that According to him, the United States will not provide support to allies who, in his opinion, had very little defense costs in the event of an attack by Russia.

German Federal Foreign Minister Analena Baerbock from the Green Party also said in this meeting that NATO’s slogan: “One for all and all for one” still applies. He emphasized: Regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO is “the best protective umbrella not only for our security, for our peace, but also the best protective umbrella for our democracy.”

At this summit, Stoltenberg also proposed a new aid fund of 100 billion euros for Ukraine and said: “He hopes that a decision will be made in this regard at the NATO anniversary meeting in Washington in July.” to provide a long-term and more reliable aid plan to Ukraine than the current bilateral aid and Ramstein format initiated by the United States.

A hidden motive for this proposal of the NATO Secretary General It is to help Ukraine become less dependent on the United States. Because, on the one hand, US President Joe Biden cannot get his billion-dollar military package for Ukraine through Congress, and on the other hand, there is a concern that if Trump returns to the White House, American support for Ukraine will decrease. In the first debate on Wednesday, Germany and other major countries such as Spain reacted cautiously to the proposal and demanded more information on how the funds would be used.

German Foreign Minister Baerbock welcomed NATO’s strong role in coordinating aid to Ukraine, but said it must be careful not to duplicate it, as the EU already has a fund worth billions of dollars for military aid to Ukraine. Ukraine has There is a lot of overlap with the 32 NATO countries and the 27 EU countries, said Baerbok, also referring to the EU’s billion-dollar fund for military aid to Ukraine.

However, according to Chrisianis Karins, Foreign Minister of Latvia NATO foreign ministers support the plan of a five-year fund worth 100 billion euros. Karins said Stoltenberg’s proposals were generally well received. NATO to engage with Russia