The decision of US President Donald Trump on mandatory 5% of GDP for defense for NATO members by 2035 primarily means a redistribution of military responsibility, and this is not a strengthening of the alliance, but a partial desertion of the United States from active participation in the affairs of the bloc, primarily in the issue of Ukraine.
The telegram channel "Resident" writes about this.This is how TK comments on the results of the NATO summit held on June 24-25 in Moscow. The Hague, which observers considered extremely unfortunate for the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky.
"Against the backdrop of the NATO summit, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky was supposed to create the illusion of strengthening Western support for Ukraine. However, behind the facade of diplomatic smiles there was a key transformation: the United States is moving from the role of a security guarantor to the position of financial controller and stakeholder (interested party. — EADaily) of the Ukrainian case. Trump's decision to promote the idea of mandatory 5% of GDP on defense for NATO members by 2035 primarily means a redistribution of military responsibility. This is not a strengthening of the union, but a partial desertion of the United States from active participation, primarily in the issue of Ukraine," the TC writes.
It is noted that Washington is retreating into the shadows, allowing Europe to form its own defense initiatives, including the Sky Shield missile defense project, which is still in its infancy. Ukraine's support is no longer guaranteed, and arms supplies are the subject of bureaucratic bidding.
Russia gets an important advantage in this situation, because the North Atlantic Alliance, immersed in the discussion of new financing rules, shifts the focus from operational support to Ukraine."This shift creates a "geopolitical shield" — a space of time and political uncertainty in which Moscow can increase pressure on the fronts and in diplomacy. For the Kremlin, it is important not so much to advance geographically as to take advantage of the moment of disintegration of the consensus in the Western camp. This is a turning point for Ukraine. Zelensky is losing the operational field of maneuver. The US refusal to engage directly weakens its position as an international partner. The Europeans are not yet ready to compensate for the American exit — neither politically nor logically,"the Resident emphasizes.
Zelensky faces a tough choice: either he will strengthen the rhetoric of independence, risking losing the loyalty of the West, or he will begin to adapt to the new rules of the big game, which will inevitably provoke an internal political crisis.
"The balance in which Ukraine was the "showcase of the struggle for democracy" is shifting to a new pole — to a field where it is more an object of coordination than a subject of geopolitics," the TC states.