Trump's advisor proposed fining NATO countries that fail to meet defense goals 3
Retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, chief of staff of the US National Security Council under former president Donald Trump, said he would propose a decentralized system for NATO if Mr. Trump wins the presidential election.
In this system, some NATO members will enjoy a higher level of protection thanks to good compliance with the bloc’s regulations, while countries that do not spend at least 2% of GDP on defense will not enjoy the policy.
According to Article 5 of NATO, any attack against a member of the bloc is considered an attack against the entire alliance and NATO will coordinate a response.
Keith Kellogg at the White House in 2020. Photo: Reuters
`If you want to be part of the alliance, you must know how to contribute,` Mr. Kellogg said.
Article 3 of NATO requires members to make appropriate efforts to develop each country’s defense capabilities.
In addition to stripping the Article 5 defense mechanism, Kellogg also suggested other sanctions such as deprivation of access to military training or shared equipment.
Mr. Kellogg did not reveal whether he had discussed this proposal with former President Trump, but said the two sides had discussed many times about the future of NATO.
According to NATO estimates from July 2023, 11 out of 31 countries achieved the 2% target by 2023, including the US, UK and some Eastern European countries near or bordering Russia.
During his time in office, Mr. Trump repeatedly warned that the US would not comply with Article 5 if NATO members did not meet the target of spending a minimum of 2% of GDP on defense.
On February 10, Mr. Trump revealed the content of his conversation with `the leader of a major country` at a NATO conference while he was still in office, in which the former US president said he would `encourage Russia to do anything.`
US President Joe Biden criticized Mr. Trump’s remarks as `shameful` and `dangerous`, and called his predecessor a `threat to democracy`.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also reacted harshly.
Former President Trump later defended his comments, saying he made NATO `strong` by getting allies to meet defense budget goals during his first term in the White House.
Mr. Donald Trump at a campaign rally in South Carolina on February 10.
