FDP Defense Expert and European Parliament Member Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has called for significantly higher defense spending in Europe in the wake of recent comments by US President-elect Donald Trump. “Trump is only confirming what he demanded during his first term: that Europeans take a much stronger financial commitment. He’s not wrong about that” Strack-Zimmermann told the Rheinische Post (Tuesday edition).
“The NATO has 32 members, with 29 of them being European states. 23 of them are EU members. Together, they only cover 65% of the costs. Something has been going very wrong for decades” Strack-Zimmermann said. “We must be aware that the US will no longer unconditionally protect us in the future, as in an alliance, every member must contribute in proportion to its economic power and take responsibility.”
Regarding Ukraine, Strack-Zimmermann said: “A just peace can only be achieved if Europe finally equips Ukraine with everything it needs to enter negotiations strongly and at the same time guarantees Ukraine’s security – namely, an invitation to become a NATO member.