By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2025-03-03 23:25:05 | Updated at 2025-03-04 05:23:12
6 hours ago
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the European Union to boost its NATO spending to “prepare for what comes next” — as concerns mount over whether the US can still be counted as an ally against Russia.
Macron and the EU’s national leaders spent Sunday wading through the chaos from President Trump’s heated Friday conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky — with the French leader saying Europe must now bolster NATO’s defense funding above the current 2% annual gross domestic product (GDP) mandate.
“For the past three years, the Russians have been spending 10% of their GDP on defense,” Macron told the French Le Figaro outlet. “We need to prepare for what comes next, with an objective of 3% to 3.5% of GDP.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said now is the time to “urgently rearm Europe” in the face of Russia’s aggression, with even Ireland now “convinced” it needs its own squadron of fighter jets for defense.
While NATO first called on its 32 members to contribute 2% of their GDP to defense in 2014, many nations have fallen short of meeting the requirement.
France just barely makes the cut at around 2.1%, with the US regularly spending around 3.4% of its GDP on NATO, according to the World Bank Group.
Other nations, like Canada, Portugal, Italy, and Spain spend far below the 2% requirement, according to the Washington-based Atlantic Council think-tank.
Trump has raged over other NATO members for not paying their fair share — and has called on them to meet a 5% GDP minimum.
No nation has met that amount, even some of NATO’s top GDP contributors, such as Poland, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Poland, which has repeatedly raised red flags about Russia’s continued aggression in Eastern Europe, continues to give the most of its GDP than any other nation at 3.8%.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed Europe’s push to end its reliance on the US and its waning security guarantees.
“Five hundred million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to protect them from 140 million Russians,” he told reporters following Sunday’s meeting.
“Count on yourself. Start counting on yourself,” he said, arguing for a joint European alliance without the US.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who led the March 2 summit, added that it has become clear that Europe “must do the heavy lifting” to protect Ukraine — as Kaja Kallas, European Union’s foreign policy chief, suggested the US can no longer be counted as the leader of the “free world.”
Following Macron’s call, NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters that some member nations have pledged to “ramp up” defense spending.
The issue has also triggered other nations to increase their own military spending, with even Irish Defense Minister Simon Harris calling on his country to invest in a squadron of fighter jet interceptors to police its airspace.
“I am convinced of that case. I think we’re living in a geo-security, geo-political environment that is volatile, that is different,” he told The Journal. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Ireland, a non-NATO member which sat out WWII, does not have any fighter jets to respond to airborne threats, with the nation depending on the British Royal Air Force for such defenses.
Ireland, which boasts about more than $1.3 billion in defense spending, would need to shell out around $60 million per jet, with Harris committed to finding a way to bolster the Irish Defense Forces.
