Europe, Great Britain and Ukraine urgently need to protect their collective security from the potential threat that could arise from the possible return of Donald Trump to the post of US president by creating a “NATO bank” to finance defense spending. This is stated in the joint report of the British and German analytical centers, which quotes edition of The Guardian.
Analysts warn that if Trump wins the presidential election, he could sharply reduce US defense spending in Europe, impose a peace agreement on Ukraine that would leave part of its territory under Russian control, or even withdraw from NATO. Such actions could significantly undermine intelligence sharing and weaken Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which guarantees collective defense.
The report, prepared by the New Diplomacy Project and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, emphasizes that NATO allies need to prepare for the possible consequences of a second Trump presidency. In particular, it is proposed to create a multilateral financial instrument – the “NATO bank”, which will help the countries of the alliance to provide the necessary resources for defense.
Such a bank could offer favorable loans to NATO members for the purchase of defense equipment, provide long-term loans at low interest rates, and generally facilitate the financing of defense expenditures. It will be financed by contributions from NATO member countries in exchange for shares in the authorized capital.
Trump has repeatedly stated that if he wins, he will force Ukraine to conclude an agreement with Russia. The report states that there are only a few months left to convince Trump and his entourage of the unacceptability of such peace terms, which are likely to be imposed by the Kremlin.
