Donald Trump questioned NATO's obligation to provide assistance and thus alarmed European allies – in Munich, one of his supporters tried to calm things down
The Russians should do “whatever they want” with delinquent taxpayers. Presidential candidate Donald Trump did it again: he got angry. Now it's time to limit the damage and that's exactly what Republican US Senator JD Vance is addressing at the security conference in Munich. It assures NATO allies that they can count on US support in the event of an attack, even under US President Donald Trump. “Of course we love our NATO allies,” said Vance, a Trump supporter. “We value the NATO alliance and that applies across the political spectrum.”
What Trump meant was that Europe had to become more independent in security matters. The republican particularly appealed to Germany to invest more in its armed forces. “If Germany has the fifth largest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the world and Russia is not even in the top ten countries, shouldn't Germany be able to guarantee effective deterrence on its own?” he asked, adding: “That is no argument that we should abandon Germany. This is an incentive for our German friends to take a little bigger role, because the United States will have other things to focus on over the next half century.”
Vance is one of the Republican members of Congress who is particularly close to former President Trump. A week ago, Trump questioned support for NATO allies who do not invest enough in defense. In doing so, he fueled the debate about how Germany and Europe can better protect themselves against attacks – including their own European nuclear protective shield.
Military aid stuck in Congress
The more than 30 members of the US Parliament participating in the Munich Security Conference are among the most sought-after discussion partners this year. This is because additional military aid worth around 60 billion dollars (around 56 billion euros) is stuck in Congress due to opposition from some Republicans like Vance. The Senate has already agreed, but the vote by the House of Representatives – the second chamber of parliament – is still pending.
Vance estimated the chances of approval were 50-50. He rejected the accusation that Republicans were blocking the package for election reasons. “Republicans are not blocking the Ukraine package because of Trump's election campaign. Republicans are skeptical of the Ukraine package because they believe it is not in the best interests of our country.” Trump plans to run again for president on November 5th. (APA/DPA)