3 days ago
NATO Plans Massive Weapons Ramp-Up to Appease Trump
Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.
NATO's foreign ministers gather in Brussels today to formally sign off on a massive weapons ramp-up that should lead to a new alliance-wide defense spending target of 5% of GDP. They will also further discussions on how to keep US President Donald Trump as happy as possible at the alliance's upcoming summit. Europeans have insisted that a so-called US backstop is essential to deter Russia from breaching any future ceasefire deal. But the US is refusing to provide air defenses to back the 'reassurance force' the UK and France are planning in a postwar Ukraine, we've been told. Keeping Trump happy will also be a top concern for Germany's Friedrich Merz, who'll be in the White House today. Trump's determination to dial back military support for Europe will shift a massive burden onto Germany. The country is uniquely vulnerable to the president's efforts to transform the way the world does business, and many Germans don't have the stomach for the challenges ahead.
— Andrea Palasciano
