Rome: Italy’s defence spending is rising at a steady rate but is unlikely to be fast enough for Donald Trump.
With weeks to go before Trump returns to the White House, Rome remains one of the dwindling number of NATO members who have not hit the target they set themselves a decade ago of spending two percent of GDP on defence.
That could put Italy and others firmly back in the crosshairs of the next US president, who looks set to be even keener to cut back on what he considers American largesse overseas.
Italy is to spend €29.18 billion ($30.89) on defence this year, a decent rise on last year’s €27.75 billion, defence minister Guido Crosetto told the Italian senate this month.
But this is only 1.54 percent of GDP, he added.
Despite this year’s defence budget document warning that the figure would drop slightly next year, finance minister Giancarlo Giorgetti this month reversed the forecast, claiming spending would edge up to 1.57 percent of GDP next year, to 1.58 percent in 2026 and to 1.61 percent in 2027.
It is a steady increase that nevertheless leaves Italy nowhere close to the two percent target.
“It needs to be stated that despite the funding, the objective of two percent of GDP requested by NATO is very ambitious,” Giorgetti told parliament.
Back in 2014 only three NATO members were spending two percent of GDP on defence, while today 23 have achieved that and only eight – including Italy – fail to hit the target.
While campaigning in February, Donald Trump said, “One of the leaders of a large country asked ‘If we don’t pay up and we are attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’, and I replied, ‘You haven’t paid up, we’re not going to protect you. I would encourage (the Russians) to do whatever the hell they want to you.”
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