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Printed Feb 12, 2025 • 3 minute learn
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BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday made the primary journey to NATO by a member of the brand new Trump administration, because the allies wait to learn the way a lot navy and monetary assist Washington intends to offer to Ukraine’s authorities.
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Hegseth held talks with U.Okay. Defence Secretary John Healey, earlier than a gathering of the Ukraine Protection Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Hegseth’s predecessor, former Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin, arrange the discussion board for drumming up arms and ammunition for Ukraine in 2022.
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Over practically three years, round 50 international locations have collectively supplied Ukraine greater than $126 billion in weapons and navy help. However the assembly this week was convened by one other nation for the primary time: the UK. All earlier gatherings of the discussion board have been chaired by america.
No resolution has been made on who may chair the following assembly, if one is known as.
Hegseth wasn’t anticipated to make any announcement on new weapons for Ukraine.
His journey comes lower than two weeks earlier than the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Most U.S. allies worry that Russian President Vladimir Putin received’t cease at Ukraine’s borders if he wins, and that Europe’s greatest land battle in a long time poses an existential risk to their safety.
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to shortly finish the battle. He’s complained that it’s costing American taxpayers an excessive amount of cash. He has prompt that Ukraine ought to pay for U.S. assist with entry to its uncommon earth minerals, power and different sources.
Some U.S. allies fear {that a} hasty deal is likely to be clinched on phrases that aren’t favorable to Ukraine. On high of that, Trump seems to imagine that European international locations ought to take duty for Ukraine’s safety going ahead.
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Washington’s 31 NATO allies additionally wish to hear what Trump’s new administration has in retailer for the world’s greatest safety group. Trump traumatized his European companions throughout his first time period in workplace by threatening to not defend any member that doesn’t meet NATO pointers for navy spending.
NATO is based on the precept that an assault on any ally should be thought-about an assault on all of them and met with a collective response. Membership is taken into account to be the final word safety assure, and it’s one which Ukraine is making an attempt to safe.
Ukraine’s safety wants and protection spending will probably be mentioned on Thursday. European allies have hiked their navy budgets since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine, and 23 are estimated to have reached or exceeded final 12 months the goal of spending 2% of gross home product.
Nevertheless, a 3rd of members nonetheless haven’t reached that threshold, and Trump is nearly sure to focus on them once more. Lately, Trump referred to as for NATO members to extend protection spending to five% of GDP, a stage that no member has reached up to now — not even Poland, which is the closest, spending greater than 4% and anticipated to method 5% this 12 months.
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Chatting with reporters in Germany on Tuesday, Hegseth wouldn’t decide to having the U.S. improve its protection spending to five% of GDP. Hegseth mentioned that he believes that the U.S. ought to spend greater than it did below the Biden administration and “shouldn’t go decrease than 3 %.”
He mentioned any last resolution can be as much as Trump, however added that “we stay in fiscally constrained instances” and have to be accountable with taxpayer cash. The U.S. spends about 3.3% of GDP on protection.
NATO leaders are anticipated to agree on new spending targets at their subsequent deliberate summit, in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-26.
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Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report from Washington.
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