Concerns arise that President Trump will suddenly 'break' NATO.

US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters.

The German magazine Focus Online argues that the NATO summit is at risk of collapse. Although the German government has pledged to increase defense spending by 1.24-1.5% of GDP by 2024, current efforts seem insufficient to retain and satisfy the United States.

In a letter to NATO leaders, including Germany and seven other member states, President Trump explicitly demanded that countries increase their defense spending. The harsh and threatening language in the letter demonstrates that America's patience with its allies is running out. Previously, at the 2014 NATO summit in Wales, members committed to spending 2% of their GDP on defense; however, President Trump has repeatedly and sharply criticized allies for not seriously fulfilling this commitment.

Focus Online points out that even Germany – NATO's strongest economy and a role model for other countries – has failed to reach an agreement to contribute 2% of its GDP to NATO's budget. This has fueled growing frustration in the US and threatens to erode the organization's security.

The US criticism was largely directed at Germany, because President Trump's letter came as the US Department of Defense was reassessing the cost of the 35,000 US troops currently stationed in Germany, after Trump expressed concerns about the high cost of maintaining this force.

America's impatience is understandable, given that it accounts for nearly 72% of NATO's total defense spending. Under his predecessor, Barack Obama, there were repeated calls for European countries to increase their military spending, but there was still no movement.

The US Department of Defense has denied media reports about the existence of a plan to withdraw US troops from German territory, but observers fear that if the plan is implemented, it would be "a serious situation," and the US might seriously consider withdrawing from NATO. – expert Thomas Eger commented.

"If President Trump withdraws troops from German territory, it would mean the end of all NATO activities," said Thomas Eger, a German foreign policy observer. He believes that the NATO alliance would still exist, but only "on paper," as member states and even the EU would lack the capacity to defend themselves in the event of war.

Expert Thomas also commented that President Trump's high-level meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16th, immediately following the NATO summit, is also a bad sign for the organization.

"President Trump may decline to attend the Brussels summit in order to focus on a summit meeting with President Putin to discuss pressing global issues," expert Thomas said.

These concerns are not unfounded, as Europe has learned a clear lesson from President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12th. Europe fears that at his meeting with President Putin in Helsinki, Trump will take similar steps as at the US-North Korea summit. For example, immediately after meeting with the North Korean leader, President Trump canceled joint military exercises with South Korea.

“Everything is happening at lightning speed. I fear that President Trump could also put NATO partners in this situation – a rapid withdrawal of troops from Germany, a commitment to halt US-led NATO joint exercises in Poland and the Baltic states, or easing sanctions against Russia and not resolving the Crimea issue, all in exchange for a vague agreement from Russia,” expert Thomas commented.