NATO CANNOT defend Europe from Russia without US, alliance's eastern leaders warn, weeks before Trump enters the White House
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The leaders of three NATO countries that border Russia have warned that the defence bloc simply isn't ready to fight Vladimir Putin's forces without the US. The leaders of Latvia, Estonia and Finland have urged the alliance to stop 'endlessly debating' how to deal with Russia in the wake of Donald Trump's immediate return to the White House.
![[A Tomahawk Missile being launched from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem during a training exercise]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/12/93455065-14224171-image-a-39_1735042727729.jpg)
The three countries are the only NATO members to border Russia. Latvia also borders Belarus, whose leader Aleksandr Lukashenko has long been a Putin ally. 'We are not ready. That's absolutely clear. We can't keep simply hoping for a situation where the US remains much involved in Europe', Latvian president Edgars Rinkevics told the Independent.
![[Pictued: An F-35B lands onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/12/93455047-14224171-image-a-40_1735042729638.jpg)
'We have to ramp up our defence capabilities because of Russia's threat, and its inability to be a democracy and operate in a rule-based world', Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal added. Earlier this week, Trump told his European allies that he will demand NATO member states to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP, more than twice the current target of 2%.
![[Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal (L) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/12/93455095-14224171-image-a-41_1735042925688.jpg)
Latvia, Finland and Estonia are among the highest spenders of defence in the bloc, relative to their GDP, spending 3.15%, 2.41% and 3.43% of their GDP on fighting capabilities respectively. While the proportion of nations who spend above the target has risen dramatically in the past year, experts have warned that the number of countries who do not pay their fair share is still too low.
![[Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics (pictured) attends a joint press conference with the Slovak president after their meeting in Riga, Latvia, 04 December 2024]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/12/93455103-14224171-image-a-42_1735042928404.jpg)
