Leaders of three NATO countries that border Russia have warned that the defense bloc is simply not ready to fight Vladimir Putin’s forces without the United States.
The leaders of Latvia, Estonia and Finland have urged the alliance to stop “endlessly debating” how to deal with Russia following Donald Trump’s immediate return to the White House.
The three countries are the only NATO members that border Russia. Latvia also borders Belarus, whose leader Aleksandr Lukashenko has long been an ally of Putin.
‘We are not prepared. That is absolutely clear. We cannot continue to simply wait for a situation in which the United States remains very involved in Europe,’ Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told the Independent.
“We have to increase our defense capabilities because of the threat from Russia and its inability to be a democracy and operate in a rules-based world,” added Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
Earlier this week, Trump told his European allies that he will require NATO member states to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, more than double the current target of 2%.
Latvia, Finland and Estonia are among the top defense spenders in the bloc, relative to their GDP, spending 3.15%, 2.41% and 3.43% of their GDP on combat capabilities. , respectively.
While the proportion of countries spending above the target has increased dramatically in the past year, experts have warned that the number of countries not paying their fair share remains too low.
Donald Trump (pictured) told his European allies that he will require NATO member states to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
A Tomahawk missile launched from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem during a training exercise
Pictured: An F-35B lands aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth
Russia will spend 6.3% of its GDP on defense next year.
Alexander Stubb, president of Finland, praised the “pressure” Trump was putting on Europe, although he urged the president-elect to focus “more on capabilities than spending.”
“Each one has to correct their defensive deficit,” he added.
Despite Trump’s aggressive stance against the defense bloc, Stubb said he did not believe the Republican would abandon him.
‘I think it is in the interest of the United States to remain committed (in Europe). In any case, I believe that alliances based on values last much longer than alliances based on interests,’ he said.
Finland, along with Sweden, applied to become a NATO member in May 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which ended decades of military neutrality.
The country’s army is one of the largest in Europe, with “280,000 soldiers who can be mobilized and armed to the teeth in a week,” according to Stubb.
Just months before applying to join NATO, Finland spent approximately £7.5 billion purchasing 64 F-35A fighter jets to bolster its air force.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal (L) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics (pictured) attends a joint press conference with the Slovak President after their meeting in Riga, Latvia, December 4, 2024.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb delivers a statement ahead of talks on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia.
Stubb said of his nation’s recent military purchases, as well as the growth of its military: “We don’t have this because we’re worried about Stockholm or London.” “We have this because we are worried about Moscow.”
The stark warnings come after Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky agreed on “the importance of refining” the UK’s training offer for the Ukrainian armed forces to “further strengthen Ukraine’s capability on the battlefield”, Number said. 10.
The Ukrainian prime minister and president spoke Monday morning and also agreed that what happens in the conflict in the coming months “matters to NATO.”
According to a readout of the call broadcast by Number 10 on Monday, “President Zelensky reflected on the situation on the frontline in Ukraine and the need to ensure that Ukraine can degrade Russian forces in the long term.
“What happens in Ukraine in the coming weeks and months is important for Europe and NATO, and it was vital that President Putin’s ambitions fail in Ukraine, the leaders agreed.”
The readout added: “The leaders discussed Operation Interflex, the UK-led training mission for Ukrainian recruits, and agreed on the importance of honing their offering to further bolster Ukraine’s capabilities on the battlefield.”
It comes amid speculation that the UK could be considering sending troops to Ukraine to help train its armed forces.
Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire at the site of a missile attack in kyiv on December 20, 2024.
Ukrainian servicemen from the 33rd Brigade operate a Leopard battle tank heading towards Kurahove, Ukraine, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues on December 19, 2024.
Members of the Consolidated ‘Khyzhak’ (Predator) Brigade of the Ukrainian Patrol Police Department place a projectile in a mortar as they fire on Russian troops in their position on a front line near the city of Toretsk, amid the attack from Russia to Ukraine, in Donetsk. region, Ukraine December 20, 2024
Last week, Defense Secretary John Healey said this was a “critical period” for Ukraine and promised the UK would “step up” its help.
Speaking to LBC during a visit to kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, Mr Healey said: “This is undoubtedly a critical period for Ukraine.
“The Russians are putting pressure on Ukraine on the front line, but Putin himself is showing signs of weakness, calling in North Korean troops to reinforce his own army, abandoning Assad and failing to defend his own positions in Syria.”
He added: “I am here discussing with the Ukrainians and the Ukrainian Defense Minister our joint plan for 2025 and I am here to say: ‘look, the UK is further stepping up the military aid that we will give, and also further stepping up the aid. “Let UK international leaders try to coordinate allies so we can support Ukraine through 2025 and beyond.”
The call comes after Sir Keir’s trip last week to the meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a military coalition of several European countries, during which he said that “Ukraine needs all the capability it can get.”