EU plots ‘NATO without US’ after cutting UK out of £125bn defence fund | World | News
Europe is plotting to reshape the NATO alliance to avoid chaos should the US withdraw from the treaty that has protected the continent for the last 80 years, it has been claimed. A new report suggests the UK, France, Germany and the Nordic nations are set to present the plan to Donald Trump ahead of NATO’s annual leaders’ summit in June.
Europe’s military powers are planning “share the burden” of the continent’s defence, which the US currently contributes 15.8% with an annual spend of $3.5 billion. The US also deploys between 80,000 and 100,000 soldiers in Europe. According to a report from the Financial Times (FT), Europe’s major powers will pitch a managed transfer, which will take place over the next five to 10 years, to Donald Trump‘s administration ahead of NATO’s summit in The Hague this summer.
It comes as the US president continues to threaten a US withdrawal from the bloc.
However, the report added that some officials believe Trump does not intend to make significant changes to the NATO alliance. Others are still left questioning whether Europe can trust the US under his leadership.
Bloomberg News also reported that NATO will ask Europe and Canada to boost its weapons stockpiles by 30%. Nations including the UK, Germany and France have already announced they will increase their defence spendings.
It’s expected that it will take Europe between five and 10 years to increase spending enough to reach a level “where they could replace most US competences”.
An official quoted by the FT said: “Increasing spending is the only play that we have: burden sharing and shifting the dial away from US reliance.
“We’re starting those talks but it’s such a big task that many are overwhelmed by the scale of it.”
They added: “Air defence systems were specifically singled out as an area that require more capability from all allies, including the US.”
European nations are reportedly working to boost spending in five main areas, which include air defence systems, deep-fire capacities, logistics, communication and information systems, and land manoeuvre capacities.
It was reported earlier this week that arms companies from the UK will be excluded from a new £125billion EU defence fund unless the government signs a security pact with Brussels. Talks for the UK to join the initiative have hit a roadblock due to wider demands on a EU-UK pact over fishing rights and migration.
