US Plans Major Reduction of Military Contributions to NATO, Der Spiegel Reports
The US is planning a major reduction of its military contributions to NATO, including key resources such as fighter jets, warships, drones and refuelling aircraft, according to German magazine Der Spiegel. European commentators express alarm, with some describing a 'silent panic' as the continent faces a 'moment of truth' in its defence strategy. Diplomatic circles confirm the reduction of weapons sought by the White House will be 'drastic'.
The United States is planning a major reduction of its military contributions to NATO, including key resources such as fighter jets, warships, drones and refuelling aircraft, German magazine Der Spiegel reported.
European commentators expressed alarm at the scale of the planned cuts. Ukrainian outlet Obozrevatel described a "silent panic" in Europe and said a "moment of truth" has arrived with U.S. President Donald Trump. "Gradual changes were expected, whereas the proposed scenario has turned out to be far more radical," the outlet wrote, noting that countries with strong welfare states that had assumed the U.S. would come to their rescue "stubbornly refuse to understand: with Trump, a 'moment of truth' has suddenly arrived."
Eerik-Niiles Kross, a member of parliament for Estonia's ruling Liberal Reform Party, expressed concern in the Estonian daily Postimees about the security of the Baltic states. "Such a shift would have a particularly negative impact on deterrence on NATO's eastern flank," Kross said. He added that the U.S. is saying it no longer wishes to participate in the part of the NATO defence plan providing for long-range strikes into Russian territory should Russia cross a NATO state's border. "Russia possesses strike capabilities directed towards Europe, the US is reducing its contribution as pledged in NATO plans, and Europe's own conventional capabilities beyond the 2,000-kilometre range are still under development," Kross said. He urged Europe to "purchase and produce interim solutions immediately."
Italian daily La Repubblica reported that diplomatic circles confirm the reduction of weapons sought by the White House will be "drastic." The newspaper said the political map of Europe is changing rapidly, driven by the withdrawal of Trump's U.S. and pressure from Vladimir Putin's Russia, with Germany reasserting itself not only as an economic power but also as a military one.
HuffPost Greece stated that Europe's rearmament has already begun and the real dilemma is whether the European Union will transform into a new kind of democratic political union. "The question is whether the European Union is prepared to transform itself into a new kind of democratic political union – a power capable of combining economic, technological, diplomatic and strategic strength while defending the fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law and individual freedoms in an unpredictable and unstable world," the outlet wrote.