Macron calls on Europe to boost NATO funding to as much as 3.5% of GDP after Trump-Zelensky fallout

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the European Union to boost its NATO spending to “prepare for what comes next” — as concerns mount over whether the US can still be counted as an ally against Russia.Macron and the EU’s national leaders spent Sunday wading through the chaos from President Trump’s heated Friday conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky — with the French leader saying Europe must now bolster NATO’s defense funding above the current 2% annual gross domestic product (GDP) mandate.“For the past three years, the Russians have been spending 10% of their GDP on defense,” Macron told the French Le Figaro outlet.“We need to prepare for what comes next, with an objective of 3% to 3.5% of GDP.”European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said now is the time to “urgently rearm Europe” in the face of Russia’s aggression, with even Ireland now “convinced” it needs its own squadron of fighter jets for defense.While NATO first called on its 32 members to contribute 2% of their GDP to defense in 2014, many nations have fallen short of meeting the requirement.France just barely makes the cut at around 2.1%, with the US regularly spending around 3.4% of its GDP on NATO, according to the World Bank Group.Other nations, like Canada, Portugal, Italy, and Spain spend far below the 2% requirement, according to the Washington-based Atlantic Council think-tank.Trump has raged over other NATO members for not paying their fair share — and has called on them to meet a 5% GDP minimum.No nation has met that amount, even some of NATO’s top GDP contributors, such as Poland, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Poland, which has repeatedly raised red flags about Russia’s continued aggression in Eastern Europe, continues to give the most of its GDP than any other nation at 3.8%.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed Europe’s push to end its reliance on the US and its waning security guarantees.

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