Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of States, is in Europe for a meeting with NATO partners. The meeting has great significance. Tillerson has put forward president Trump's favorite points regarding the NATO nations doing more for the alliance. The United States funds 70% of the NATO budget. The president has been hammering away that members of the coalition need to Pay more for their defense. It was earlier agreed that the European Powers would pay 2% of the GDP towards NATO expenditure. Apart from the UK and four other nations, nobody is paying.
Tillerson has made it clear that in case NATO is to be sustained the European powers must pay for their defense and clear the outstanding amounts by the end of the year.
Share expenses
This point was earlier also brought out by General Mattis in his meeting with NATO leaders. The problem is not so simple. The US has been subsidizing NATO since the fifties and sixties. This expenditure was relevant when the USSR was the looming danger. Trump in the build up to the US elections had said that not only was NATO an obsolete organization, but the uS could not keep paying for the defense of the members for all time to come. After coming to power he has moderated his opinion, yet the US has asked for a more equitable sharing of expenses.
He will also attend the NATO summit in May.
European powers and the US
The European powers still expect the USA to foot the entire bill. The members of NATO have for too long been enjoying the benefits of America subsidizing NATO. Even now Germany has rejected to pay more. The chance that Trump will be allowed to downgrade the alliance is zero.
The Russian bogie is created to unseat him. He is in a bind, and perhaps the NATO powers are aware of it. The Pentagon and the American Generals have declared Russia, the enemy. A Congressional investigation on the links of the Trump administration with Russia is in progress. The President is encircled. Come what may the 3 trillion deficit will continue to grow as the name of the game is to remove Donald.
