International Now tariffs too: Nato struggles to deal with Trump
US President Donald Trump's unprecedented tariff decisions are fueling concerns within NATO about a further escalation of transatlantic tensions. At a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, participants warned that the measures against the European allies could slow down the economic growth necessary for the rearmament against Russia.
03.04.2025, 16:42
SDA
Protectionism will not help in building a stronger defense, said Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was convinced that the punitive tariffs imposed by Trump would have a negative economic impact on all NATO members.
Eide pointed out that Trump's actions contradict Article 2 of the NATO treaty. This states that the alliance states should strive to "eliminate contradictions in their international economic policies and promote economic cooperation between any or all parties".
Russia is missing from Trump's list of tariffs
Trump's approach is particularly controversial because Russia, of all countries, is one of the very few that are not affected. It is also difficult to reconcile with the plans to force European NATO partners to spend up to five percent of their economic strength on defense.
"We want NATO to become stronger. We want Nato to become more efficient. And the only way NATO can become stronger and more capable is if our partners (...) have more capabilities," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Brussels. No one expects that the five percent target can be achieved in one or two years. "But the way to get there must be credible." This is an uncomfortable but fundamental truth.
There was initially no response from major NATO countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy. They had previously considered defense spending of five percent of gross domestic product to be unrealistic for the foreseeable future. Germany and France recently came in at just over two percent, while Italy and Spain were even significantly lower. According to alliance figures, the USA recently had a GDP ratio of around 3.4 percent. Rubio made it clear that the five percent would then also apply to his country.
Baerbock: Further expanding the European security pillar
The acting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said that Russia threatened peace and security on both sides of the Atlantic in view of the US demands. "That is why we, as NATO partners, will continue to expand the European pillar of security."
With a view to the NATO summit in June, she called for the search for alliance partners to look beyond the Atlantic and into the Indo-Pacific. It was important to "further expand the strength of the alliance by finding common answers for the rules-based international order".
NATO Secretary General aims for three percent mark
According to current planning, a new joint target for defense spending is to be agreed at the summit in The Hague. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hopes that agreement can be reached on more than 3 percent. The former Dutch head of government did not comment on the new transatlantic tensions over tariffs and stated that the two-day meeting of foreign ministers was not about economic matters.
Rutte currently has the difficult task of maintaining the cohesion of the alliance despite Trump's policies. For example, he was conspicuously reticent recently when Trump began uncoordinated negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine and claimed ownership of Greenland. Rutte's aim is to prevent the Americans from making a major withdrawal from Europe at least until the Europeans have closed their numerous military capability gaps.
Rubio initially left open whether this can be achieved. To the delight of numerous allies, however, he was much more positive in Brussels than US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently. Rubio described fears that Trump could seek to withdraw the USA from NATO in the dispute over the issue as unfounded hysteria and exaggeration. "President Trump has made it clear that he supports Nato," he said. The USA would remain in the alliance. Proof of this is also the fact that there has been a new US ambassador to Nato since this Thursday, Matthew Whitaker.
Hegseth's tone had been much harsher. In February, he had let the Europeans know in no uncertain terms that Trump wanted to significantly reduce the US military presence in Europe. He made it clear that the Europeans would have to take the lead in conventional defense and deterrence in Europe in the future.
