US President’s NATO ambassador drops bombshell 5% defense spending demand on stunned UK and European allies who are ALREADY struggling to meet current targets
Donald Trump’s two-hour phone marathon with Vladimir Putin has spectacularly failed to secure an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine – with the Russian strongman instead vowing brutal retaliation for Kyiv’s audacious weekend attacks that destroyed 41 of his prized warplanes.
In dramatic developments that sent shockwaves through European capitals, Trump’s NATO ambassador has demanded Britain and other allies commit to a staggering 5% of GDP on defense spending “starting now” – more than DOUBLE current targets that most nations are already struggling to meet.
The explosive demands came as Putin brazenly snubbed Trump’s peace overtures, taking the crucial call from a children’s music school in Sochi rather than the Kremlin – a calculated insult that left the US President admitting he might simply “back away” from negotiations.
PUTIN’S CHILLING VOW
Top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev issued a spine-chilling warning following Ukraine’s “Operation Spider’s Web” that obliterated billions of pounds worth of strategic bombers: “Retribution is inevitable.
The weekend assault saw Ukrainian forces destroy dozens of Russian warplanes parked at airfields thousands of miles from the front lines, in what military experts called “one of Kyiv’s most audacious and sophisticated counter assaults since the beginning of the war.
Ukrainian operatives smuggled 117 drones INTO Russia hidden in wooden sheds on the backs of trucks, before launching simultaneous strikes on FIVE airfields – including bases in Siberia, more than 4,300km from Ukraine’s borders.
TRUMP’S HUMILIATION
Despite Trump’s pre-call boasts on social media, Putin appeared thoroughly unmoved by the US President’s pleas to end what Trump called “this bloodbath.
While Trump conducted the two-hour conversation from the Oval Office and previewed the call ahead of time in all capital letters on social media, Putin did not clear his schedule. He phoned in from a school for gifted children in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, squeezing in Trump amid a tour of the facilities.
Trump later admitted: “I tell you, big egos involved, but I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going.”
THE 5% BOMBSHELL
In a move that has left European leaders reeling, Trump’s team is demanding NATO members increase defense spending to an eye-watering 5% of GDP – a target that would put most nations on a war footing.
A cynic might suspect that Trump is making a demand with which he knows most European allies cannot or will not comply, providing him with a pretext for leaving the alliance.
Currently, only NINE countries worldwide spend 5% or more on defense – and most are either at war or authoritarian petrostates.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul backed the demands, but Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned: “I think 5% frankly, is very, very difficult. If we’re talking about hard defense spending, I think 3.5% is probably the ceiling.”
THE SHOCKING NUMBERS
The scale of Trump’s demands becomes clear when you look at the figures:
- Only 23 of NATO’s 32 members currently meet the 2% target
- In 2024, Germany spent around 2% of its GDP on defense, according to NATO estimates
- To reach 5%, Germany alone would need to find an extra €135 BILLION annually
- Had all NATO members spent 5% of GDP on defense in 2023, their expenditures would have surpassed actual total global defense spending
UKRAINE’S DEVASTATING STRIKE
The weekend’s “Operation Spider’s Web” delivered a crushing blow to Putin’s air force:
- 41 Russian warplanes destroyed or damaged
- $7 BILLION in damages inflicted
- 34% of the strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia’s main airfields were hit
- Strikes reached as far as Siberia – 4,300km from Ukraine
Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said the attack was “a stunning success for Ukraine’s special services.
The ingenious operation saw Ukrainian agents smuggle drones across the border hidden in specially-built wooden sheds with retractable roofs, mounted on trucks that drove right up to the airfields before launching their deadly cargo.
PEACE TALKS IN TATTERS
Monday’s much-anticipated Istanbul peace talks ended in disaster, with Russia telling Ukraine at peace talks on Monday that it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army.
Putin also has a major stipulation – no more foreign intelligence sharing and no more military aid for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of “effectively rejecting” proposals for a ceasefire, calling for tougher sanctions: “If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions.
TRUMP’S TRADE GAMBIT
In a bizarre twist, Trump revealed the call focused heavily on TRADE rather than peace, boasting: “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree.
One analyst observed: Every now and then in recent weeks, Trump has called for an “immediate ceasefire.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky endorsed the idea. But judging from both leaders’ summaries of the call, it seems Trump doesn’t really believe this or care about Putin’s motives. He wants the war to end quickly only so that the U.S. and Russia can resume good relations—and if this means Ukraine’s surrender, so be it.
NATO IN CRISIS MODE
Secretary of State Marco Rubio boldly claimed: all NATO nations “will have agreed on a goal” of reaching 5% in defense spending over the next decade by time the military alliance has held its summit next month.
But behind closed doors, panic is spreading:
- One official from an eastern NATO nation told Breaking Defense that a plan to create two different pots of spending could actually cause problems for nations who are planning to exceed the new defense target
- Spain currently spends just 1.28% of GDP on defense
- Italy manages only 1.5%
THE EXPERT VERDICT
“My worry is that this 5 percent is actually setting up allies for failure,” said Krista Viksnins, an expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis. The moment that Trump says, ‘Oh, look, no one’s spending 5 percent,’ and he decides to then pull the U.S. out of NATO, that actually hurts allies more than perhaps having lower thresholds for defense spending.
PUTIN’S POWER PLAY
The timing of Ukraine’s devastating airfield attacks appears to have strengthened Putin’s hand. Putin is confident that his forces can break through Ukraine’s defenses by the end of the year to take full control of four regions that he has claimed for Russia, according to sources familiar with the Russian president’s thinking.
Meanwhile, Russia launched its largest ever drone assault on Ukraine – 472 drones in a single night – showing no signs of backing down.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With Putin unmoved, NATO allies scrambling to meet impossible demands, and Ukraine delivering ever-more audacious strikes deep inside Russia, Trump’s promise of a quick peace deal lies in tatters.
As one CNN analyst brutally observed: This may be the moment Trump finally understood Putin as someone who really doesn’t seek his approval or allegiance, and stepped back.
The question now: Will Trump make good on his threat to “back away” – and what happens to Ukraine if he does?
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
NATO Summit Showdown: All eyes on The Hague in June where the 5% demand will be formally discussed
Putin’s Revenge: Military experts warn Russia is planning massive retaliation for airfield attacks
Trump’s Ultimatum: Will he follow through on threats to abandon NATO if allies don’t pay up?
Ukraine’s Gambit: More audacious strikes expected as Kyiv fights for survival
Image credit: President Donald J. Trump talks on the phone with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan of the United Arab Emirates by Shealah Craighead / The White House, Public Domain.
