{"id":33796,"date":"2026-07-06T19:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T23:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/trump-to-push-for-more-european-defense-spending\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T19:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T23:14:11","slug":"trump-to-push-for-more-european-defense-spending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/trump-to-push-for-more-european-defense-spending\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump to Push for More European Defense Spending"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at the biggest issues on NATO<\/strong>\u2019s agenda, China<\/strong> test-firing a ballistic missile, and a funeral procession for former Iranian <\/strong>Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n

The Future of NATO<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a precarious time for the world\u2019s largest military alliance. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to undermine NATO with threats of withdrawal. Several member states are struggling to meet new defense spending requirements. Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine remains a threat to European security. And differences over how to handle the Iran war risk exacerbating tensions among allies.<\/p>\n

Welcome to NATO 3.0.<\/p>\n

Dozens of foreign leaders will convene in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday for this year\u2019s NATO leaders\u2019 summit. According to NATO chief Mark Rutte, the two-day conference<\/a> will focus on bolstering Europe\u2019s defense responsibilities in an effort to keep Washington engaged in the alliance. This summit will be the beginning of a trans-Atlantic \u201cdefense industrial revolution,\u201d Rutte said at the Atlantic Council last month.<\/p>\n

Among European members, opinions of NATO remain high. A Pew Research Center survey released<\/a> on Monday found that more than 70 percent of people in Poland, Sweden, Germany, and Hungary view the alliance favorably. Yet approval rates in several countries have declined\u2014most notably in France, Italy, and the United States.<\/p>\n

The White House, in particular, has grown disillusioned with the bloc, accusing members of placing the onus of their defense on Washington. \u201cThe United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing,\u201d Trump wrote<\/a> on Truth Social on Thursday.<\/p>\n

At Trump\u2019s urging, NATO allies agreed last year to increase their respective defense spending to at least 5 percent of GDP by 2035. Several countries appear on track to meet this minimum in time. However, the White House does not appear mollified. During this week\u2019s summit, the United States plans to \u201ctake stock of our allies\u2019 expanding NATO\u2019s capabilities in support of the burden-shifting going on here on the European continent,\u201d said Matt Whitaker<\/a>, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States remains a proud NATO member,\u201d Whitaker added. But \u201cwe have responsibilities elsewhere in the world as the world\u2019s only superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never swayed by NATO,\u201d Trump told the Telegraph<\/em><\/a> in April. \u201cI always knew they were a paper tiger.\u201d At the time, Trump failed to rule out withdrawing from the alliance. And just two months later, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review<\/a> of the U.S. military\u2019s presence in Europe that some fear will be used as a smoke screen to reduce the number of U.S. troops on the continent.<\/p>\n

Although uneven defense spending has long frustrated Trump, NATO\u2019s response to the Iran war (or lack thereof) has recently threatened to unravel the bloc. Trump has blasted NATO members for failing to adequately help U.S. forces during the conflict, despite the alliance maintaining that doing so would have gone beyond NATO\u2019s purview. This week, foreign leaders are expected to discuss international efforts<\/a> to secure the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

However, a senior U.S. official told ABC News<\/a> on Sunday that \u201cmany [NATO allies] don\u2019t have the necessary ships or assets to contribute to a meaningful maritime effort\u201d despite the fact that \u201cwe\u2019ve had a lot of allies raise their hand and offer to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran is not the only conflict on NATO\u2019s agenda this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also be in attendance to push for greater Western military aid. All eyes will likely be on his meeting with Trump, during which Zelensky is expected to ask<\/a> for more U.S.-made interceptors. The meeting will come just days after Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine killed at least 20 people.<\/p>\n

For more NATO summit coverage, subscribe to <\/em>FP\u2019s Situation Report<\/em>, which will have special editions this week from reporters John Haltiwanger and Rishi Iyengar, who are on the ground in Ankara.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Most Read<\/h3>\n

The World This Week<\/h3>\n

Tuesday, July 7:<\/strong> The two-day NATO leaders\u2019 summit kicks off in Turkey.<\/p>\n

French President Emmanuel Macron concludes a two-day trip to Syria.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, July 8:<\/strong> Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a three-day trip to Australia.<\/p>\n

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Thursday, July 9:<\/strong> Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is buried.<\/p>\n

Nominations open for the U.K. Labour Party\u2019s leadership contest.<\/p>\n

Monday, July 13:<\/strong> France convenes a two-day Coalition of the Willing meeting.<\/p>\n

What We\u2019re Following<\/h3>\n

Ballistic missile test. <\/strong>Chinese forces test-fired<\/a> a submarine-launched ballistic missile in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, marking the country\u2019s first such test in nearly two years. According to Chinese Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for China\u2019s navy, the launch was part of Beijing\u2019s annual military training schedule, and \u201crelevant nations\u201d were given advance warning. \u201cThe operation was in accordance with international law and practice, targeting no specific country or objective,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n

Still, the overt display has heightened worries<\/a> about Beijing\u2019s expanding military capabilities. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the test \u201cdestabilizing to the region,\u201d New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters described the launch as an \u201cunwelcome and concerning development,\u201d and a Japanese government statement expressed \u201cserious concerns regarding China\u2019s increasingly active military activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s launch came the same day that Australia and Fiji announced<\/a> a mutual defense treaty and a regional security pact. The agreements are part of Canberra\u2019s efforts to shore up regional support and push back against Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific. Last week, Australia and Vanuatu signed a bilateral security treaty<\/a>; on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to the Solomon Islands for security talks; and on Wednesday, Albanese will host the leaders of Tonga and Papua New Guinea, the latter of which signed a defense treaty with Australia in 2025 that will take effect that day.<\/p>\n

In memoriam. <\/strong>The funeral procession for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began<\/a> on Monday, with hundreds of thousands of people flooding the streets to try to see his coffin. Noticeably absent was Khamenei\u2019s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear publicly since his father\u2019s death on Feb. 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n

Mojtaba\u2019s absence was made further apparent by the rare presence of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who attended despite years of estrangement from the killed leader. Also seen at the regime-organized procession on Monday was a symbolic \u201cstoning the devil\u201d ceremony. Although the Muslim tradition usually has practitioners target pillars representing the devil, Monday\u2019s attendees instead threw pebbles<\/a> at photos of Trump bearing the mark of a sniper\u2019s crosshairs on his forehead. Chants included \u201cDeath to America\u201d and \u201cKill Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funeral ceremonies began on Saturday and are expected to last<\/a> about a week. During this time, talks to secure a permanent U.S.-Iran cease-fire are likely to be a primary topic of the NATO leaders\u2019 summit. According to Trump, negotiations were paused this week to allow Khamenei\u2019s funeral to occur.<\/p>\n

Impeachment trial. <\/strong>The Philippine Senate began impeachment proceedings<\/a> on Monday against Vice President Sara Duterte, whose charges include publicly threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his allies, amassing unexplained wealth, and misusing confidential state funds. If convicted, she could be permanently banned from holding public office, dashing her hopes to seek the presidency in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the moment when the republic must demonstrate that laws are applied equally to the powerful and the powerless alike,\u201d said Rep. Gerville Luistro<\/a>, who is leading the prosecution team. The trial is expected to last 92 days. Duterte did not attend Monday\u2019s session in person, and she continues to deny all charges.<\/p>\n

Despite holding vastly different views than Marcos, Duterte joined his ticket in 2022 to secure votes. However, that union quickly collapsed after the vice president blamed the president for her father\u2019s arrest. Duterte is the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last year on orders of the International Criminal Court for charges related to his deadly anti-drugs crackdown.<\/p>\n

Sara Duterte needs 15 out of 24 senators<\/a> to vote in her favor to avoid conviction. The Senate already holds a Marcos-leaning majority due to the recent removal of Duterte-aligned Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and the election of Marcos-favored lawmaker Sherwin Gatchalian to be the body\u2019s president. Any support for Duterte was further thrown into doubt on Monday, when Sen. Rodante Marcoleta (a fierce ally of the vice president) was arrested for allegedly violating anti-corruption laws by accepting $1.2 million from private donors during his 2025 Senate run. Marcoleta has denied<\/a> any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

Odds and Ends<\/h3>\n

The United States and Belgium face off Monday evening to determine who will make it to the World Cup quarterfinals. But while the stakes are high, the politics surrounding the match are even higher. In an unprecedented move<\/a>, Trump personally urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review a one-game ban on U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, who received a red card during Wednesday\u2019s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina for putting his cleat on an opponent\u2019s ankle. On Sunday, FIFA announced that it had suspended Balogun\u2019s ban, and on Monday, it rejected Belgium\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n

Although many soccer experts had questioned the red card ruling at the time, Trump\u2019s involvement has prompted concerns<\/a> that FIFA is making exceptions for Washington. \u201cWhen money calls the shots, the World Cup loses all credibility,\u201d Belgium\u2019s Socialist Party said ahead of Monday\u2019s game. \u201cAdapting the rules to please Trump, trying to cheat to win\u2014what a deplorable image for FIFA, for the soccer World Cup, and for the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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