As Russia invades Ukraine, it’s worth remembering that not only has Germany phased out its successful nuclear program, ensuring that Europe will be more reliant on Russian energy — making the cost of implementing sanctions far more painful for the West — but it hasn’t taken NATO seriously in years.
Member nations have promised to spend a measly 2 percent of GDP on defense. Pre-Covid, only nine of 28 nations in the pact had done so: the U.S., Greece, Estonia, the U.K., Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. Turkey, France, Norway, Slovakia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Portugal all spend more of their GDP on defense than the fourth-largest economy in the world, which spends 1.38 percent. Germany’s GDP is nearing $4 trillion, and it notified the other member nations that its estimated spending will fall to 1.25 percent of GDP in 2024. It now promises to meet the 2 percent threshold by 2031. If any nation has a responsibility to deter Russian aggression, it’s Germany, which lords over the EU as if it were a bunch of client states. Instead, it lobbied the United States to stop sanctions and appease Russia. But I’m sure Ukraine is grateful for the helmets.