Changing NATO defense spending, Carney says as Trump pressures allies – Nationally
NATO countries are beefing up their forces after US President Donald Trump “won the argument” over defense spending, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday.
Trump has long argued that allies do not spend enough on defense and that the US carries more than its fair share of NATO’s defense financial burden.
Carney told reporters in Turkey on the final day of the summit that Trump is looking to remove that burden – something that former US president Barack Obama also wanted.
That is starting to happen, he said.
“That’s booming,” Carney said. “That’s part of the point I made to President Trump when we talked a few days ago … it’s not just that you win the argument, you win the argument.
“Countries are realizing that they need to be more responsible, to see specific threats.”
The prime minister said global security threats were “changing rapidly” with advances in military technology, from hypersonic missiles to autonomous warfare.
Carney spoke with Trump on Sunday and told reporters that the president was happy, as he was when he attended the NATO leaders’ dinner on Tuesday night.
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Although when Trump appeared at the conference and spoke with Secretary-General Mark Rutte, the president insisted that he was still angry with the members of the alliance and threatened to end trade with Spain.
“I’m not happy with NATO because of what they did with Greenland, and I’m not happy with NATO because they didn’t want to help us with the first sponsor of the terrorist state, Iran,” said Trump.
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Trump’s war with Iran and past threats to seize Greenland have added to the strain on the alliance. Trump added that he would raise Greenland as an issue during the North Atlantic Council meeting.
Rutte wanted to strengthen Trump before that meeting, telling him that he is responsible for the biggest increase in the military budget in the entire alliance.
“It is very important when it comes to NATO, what you have achieved, and this is a big win,” he said.
During the conference, the allies announced tens of billions of dollars in new military spending.
Before arriving in Turkey this week, Carney announced that German manufacturer TKMS will be the preferred bidder for Canada’s next submarines.
The massive contract will boost Canada’s military spending, helping it to make the case to NATO allies that it is stepping up in defense.
The German-Norwegian bid narrowly beat South Korea’s Hanwha to be the preferred contractor, although Hanwha could still win the contract if negotiations with TKMS fail.
Asked if there will be a consolation prize to improve relations, Carney said Canada is already making other arrangements with Seoul.
He said he had a meaningful meeting on Tuesday with President Lee Jae Myung.
“Obviously, he was disappointed, but the conversation immediately started – with his departure – on a series of issues around AI and technology risks and how we can continue to deepen our cooperation there,” Carney said.
“That’s not a consolation prize. That’s working together on important issues.”
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