Posted on 01/14/2025 7:30:58 PM PST by Vendome
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on members of the alliance to either increase their defense spending targets or start taking "Russian language courses."
NATO's current target for members' defense spending is 2 percent of their country's GDP. Trump said in 2018 during his first administration that the defense spending goal for NATO should be doubled to 4 percent.
While on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Trump also accused NATO of relying too much on U.S. contributions. During a December appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, he even suggested the U.S. could look at leaving NATO if members don't increase their defense spending.
"Everything I'm seeing at this moment is not nearly enough, and if we don't do it [raise spending targets], we are safe now but not in four or five years. So if you don't do it, get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand," Rutte said.
He added, "Or decide now to spend more, and that's exactly the debate we have to finalize over the next three or four months to stay safe in this part of the world."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
However, Ukraine used to have the strongest offensive capable army in Europe, they were trained by NATO standards since 2014, you forgot that West has sent almost half a trillion dollars to Ukraine
We are using Ukraine to degrade Russia's ally capability with China, as well force Euroweenies to pay their fair share for defense and develop systems, personnel and logistics in support global stability should become an issue we need to cancel...
Photo no show
The manipulations of those in power carry on and we peons watch it play out.
All this effort to get Europe under US control for the confrontation with China.
Stay tuned for what comes next.
We set up this slow roll
That justifies sending hundreds of thousands of Ukraine's to certain death?
Who but a sociopath thinks that's okay?
And, you're spin is ridiculous. What's going on in Ukraine is proxy war between NATO and Russia and Russia is winning, easily.
Claiming Russia isn't military superpower is nothing short of delusional. And pushing Russia into an alliance with China is one the dumbest and most dangerous things we could have done.
Lol. In 2019 86% of Russians have seen the future of their country in a deeper integration into collective West, 3% have seen the West as the enemy.
In 2024 92% of Russians believe that the reconciliation with the West is impossible as it is an inherent enemy.
And I have no idea why is it not a superpower or what makes it degrade. Its military is twice the prewar size and has the most combat experience in the world. And it hates the US with a passion.
“Lol. In 2019 86% of Russians have seen the future of their country in a deeper integration into collective West”
What an OPPORTUNITY for the West - now China gets access Russia’s market, resources, and skills, not to mention a military union that is easily the strongest in the world.
As I’ve noted here before the reason that the West rejected Russia as that Russia was only willing to go so far in the direction of Western idiocy. A few examples include allowing Pedophiles access to kids, and to the point of UK Rape Gangs; Crippling their own economies in the name of Global Warming while China LAUGHS at them every week as the christen a new coal plant; And allowing Mass Immigration to the point of population replacement.
Beyond that, Western vassals have to act like a battered wife, such as when German Chancellor Sholtz stands next to Biden and says nothing while Biden explains that we’re going to blow up his pipeline.
And, ironically, in my opinion, pressure from younger Russians against the old, ‘paranoid’, rulers there was starting to eat away at Putin’s standing...Until the Neocons proved that those old, ‘paranoid’, rulers were right all along...and now it will be another 50 years before Russia even talks to Europe, and they’ll probably have to speak to them in Arabic.
Cute. Always with the drama. Russia isn’t planning an invasion of Europe. Their military hovers around 10% of it’s size during the Fulda Gap days. Not all of the Warsaw Pact... just the Russian Army.
The expansive authoritarian entity is NATO and the EU.
Russia is a regional power. That’s it.
Their GDP is on par with Mexico and Canaduh. Hell, they don’t break the top 10 of GDP globally.
And as Europe winds down their dependence on Russia’s #1 export the story doesn’t get better for Russia. They already forfeited Syria.
Proxy war between NATO and Russia? Yeah? Well, we are footing the majority of the bill.
Russia’s capability to expand has been severely degraded, otherwise, why import conscripted Nork’s
Logistics, in the case money, is a big deal in war and Russia’s economy is on the verge of no longer being to sustain forward momentum but, holding ground costs money too.
News everywhere points to Russian economic downturn with interest rates generally above 18% but, manufacturers of war equipment are given preferential rates at the command of central givernment.
They aren’t going to collapse but, they can’t really go any further if much further....
Never said and never believed Russia was going to invade Europe
They can’t anyway...
...and not a single source. Just the same claims - Russia is about to collapse!, FOR THREE YEARS NOW.
Russia might not have enough military might to conquer Europe, but they could sure wreck it pretty good.
Regards,
Ukraine is a European country. Russia has attacked it, invaded it, fire-bombed its cities, and annexed large chunks of it.
Russia has thus de facto invaded a European country.
You are employing sophistry.
Regards,
Russia is done! Putin’s only hope is that Trump throws him a lifeline.
“That justifies sending hundreds of thousands of Ukraine’s to certain death? Who but a sociopath thinks that’s okay?”
.
.
There are KIA and there are “casualties”.
Should invasions of sovereign lands be readily accepted?
They are Eastern European.
Not the same as Western European.
And you know it...
You said simply "invade Europe." Now, after you made that blanket statement, you are attempting to back-pedal and draw an unnecessary distinction.
The Baltic Republics, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, etc. are all parts of Europe. Whether eastern or western is irrelevant.
North Korean and Russian troops are now fighting together in a war of conquest in Europe. They are threatening the security of Europe.
Regards,
NATO Chief Tells Allies to Raise Defense Spending or Learn Russian
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This will be a real imposition what with having to learn Arabic so they can read the Koran.
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