By Lateef Adegbite
The Ukraine -Russia war appears to have encouraged President Donald Trump of the North American country of the United States to withdraw the country from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, a global security outfit.
The US, appears to have joined the security Organisation in which Diplomatic sources had said it spends well over $500 bln, annually, in maintaining dozens of its military bases across Europe since the end of WW2 as a crucial foundation for NATO Operations, regional deterrence and global power projection.
At the end of the WW2, to forestall Russian attack of Europe, the US, Pentagon, had stationed and deployed forces all over Europe, which was said to have fluctuated reaching an all-time high of roughly 475,000 active- duty personnel in the late 1950s to serve a military bulwark against the defunct USSR and arsaw Pact forces in the height of the Cold War.
But in early, 2025, the number of US, forces in Europe to considerably 84, 000 active- duty personnel. The US, European Command, EUCOM, servicemembers in Europe which varies due to toplanned exercises and regulation of troops in and out of the Continent.
With the Russian -Ukraine war, in which the US, had spent over 4350bln, to support Ukraine, the country total number of troops in Europe at the moment ranged between 75,000 and 105,000 military personnel, primarily from the Air Force, Army and Navy, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, EUCOM, Commander, had said.
As a prelude to withdrawing from the security Organisation, described as ‘’a Cold War Relic’’ the US, Congress, according to a Diplomatic source has introduced a Bill in the House for debate to facilitate the country’s immediate withdrawal from NATO, formed in 1945, after the WW2, described as cold war relic, to protect Europe, from Russian is not ready to attack it.
President Trump, who had already made up his mind to sign the Bill into Law if passed by the Congress may have discovered that the country is overdue to quit the global security body as the Likes of President Emmanuel Macron of France, Keir Stammer, Prime Minister of Britain, United Kingdom, UK, German Chancellor Frederick Merz and Mark Rutte, a former Prime Minister of Netherland and Secretary General of European Union, EU, literarily call Trump, as the ‘’Daddy of NATO’’, which he did not find funny.
The French President Macron and Starmer, Prime Minister of Britain, had said that even if US, withdraws from NATO, they can effectively protect the region by themselves. The worry of many was that President Macron, may not be able created by the US, funding of NATO, let alone fund the Ukraine war, s it could not procure the €100 bln , US, manufactured weapons to support the Ukraine as it could not afford it because Senegal and the Alliance for Sahel States of Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Mali, and other French speaking countries where it was getting close to $500 billion annually had kicked it from their countries.
Even, Starmer, the British Prime Minister, who had given his word to Volodimyr Zelenskyy, that the country would continue to support it both financially and supply of weapons to sustain the war against Russia in 2026, may have shocked many when he promised that he would relase up to £100 bln of frozen Russian assets in Europe to it, including the £8 bln in UK bank , accounts, bring the cumulative amount that would be sent to Ukraine to£108bln, from the Russian frozen assets.
The EU and UK, proposal, championed by Merz, the German Chancellor and Starmer, the Brish PM, would see the £140bln, of Russian Federation frozen assets held in Belgium, transformed into ‘’reparations loan, to support Kyiv financially to sustain the Ukraine war in 2026 but Bart De Wver, Belgium, Prime Minister, would not take it.
The Belgium, PM, is not ready to cross the path of Vladimir Putin, who is decisively with Zelenskyy, home country, Ukraine, despite the EU and NATO, support, who had threatened the EU, of 50 years, litigation if its frozen assets are used to fund the Ukraine war.
It would be recalled that the cash-strapped Zelenskkyy, to sustain the war, with Russia, had met the trio of Chancellor Merz of Germany, French President Macron and PM. Starmer of Britain in London, last Monday, where he had cried out to them that Kyiv can’t manage’’ without Europe and American backing’’.
The Ukrainian President, may have to adopt the new three peace point proposal drafted by the American President to the over three- year-old war which had claimed millions of lives in Ukraine and destruction of basic infrastructural facilities in the country as the European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leeyen, has given an insight that the Europe would not finance the war. Already, the European Central Bank, ECB, was said to have refused to provide a backstop for a plan to use the frozen Russian assets to raise£140 bln.
The EC, rejection, according to informed analysts raises questions about EU, member countries ability to meet its financial obligations to Kyiv, as Russian attacks intensify on a daily basis and thus increasing the east European country financial demands to buy US, manufactured weapons and additional funds to carter for the welfare of the soldiers in the frontlines.
