Ron DeSantis challenges NATO to pull its weight, unite against China

DeSantis inauguration. Image via AP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is questioning NATO’s collective commitment to defense, specifically wondering if all countries in the alliance share a sense of the Chinese threat.

In remarks made during a campaign stop in Hollis, New Hampshire, the presidential candidate raised fresh questions about NATO and agreed with Donald Trump that alliance members can and should do more.

“NATO, after World War II was done because they wanted to keep the Americans in Europe, they wanted to keep the Germans down and they want the Soviets out. And so that’s what developed in kind of the post-World War II, Cold War, all that,” DeSantis said.

At that point, DeSantis said “all the NATO allies were 100% united.”

“We didn’t want the Soviets coming past eastern Europe and we obviously wanted Germany to basically be kept in check. Well, now we’re in a different situation, and those NATO allies don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with us about our foremost threat, which is China,” DeSantis said.

The Governor signaled a split in the alliance.

“You have some like the Brits and the Poles, they get it and I think that they’re with us on that. But you have others like France and Germany that, they think being more friendly with Xi (Jinping) is the right way to go, that China doesn’t really represent a threat.”

DeSantis believes “all NATO allies need to do 2.5% of GDP for defense.”

“We can’t underwrite security for all of Europe while they don’t necessarily share our interests in terms of our posture in the Pacific, which is the most important threat we’re going to face as an American. So they need to do a lot more and we need to insist on it, and I will give Trump credit for saying that in 2016. He was right,” DeSantis said.

“They’re not where they need to be and they need to do way more than what they’ve done.”

Later in his New Hampshire remarks, DeSantis suggested working “positively” with India against China, despite the fact that the Joe Biden administration “gives them grief because they have relationships with Russia on some things.”

The Governor’s complaints about NATO have increased as he’s attempted to stake out a pro-settlement position regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The Europeans really need to do more. I mean, this is their continent. The U.S. has provided security for them. And yes, Poland — there’s some that are doing stuff, and that should be appreciated. But Germany, they’re not doing anything,” DeSantis said to Asian news outlet Nikkei Asia.