German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on February 12 criticized former US President Donald Trump for threatening to not guarantee security for NATO members that do not meet the target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.
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| German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (Source: DW) |
The German leader said any suggestion that allies would not protect each other played into Russia's hands.
Speaking after talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was visiting Berlin to discuss strengthening European defence, Mr Scholz said: “Let me be clear, given recent developments, any relativisation of NATO’s collective defence guarantee is irresponsible, dangerous and only benefits Russia.”
Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland and Germany should jointly take responsibility for boosting European defense and that boosting arms production was an absolute priority for the bloc.
“There is no reason for the EU to be weaker than Russia,” he said, adding that the EU would achieve greater air defence and munitions production capabilities within the next year or so.
Earlier, speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina, Mr Trump said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever they want” to any NATO country that did not spend enough on defence.
The statements are particularly shocking to frontline NATO countries like Poland, where concerns are growing about fighting just across its eastern border.
(according to DW)
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