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Under Trump, NATO Nations Get More U.S. Troops And Military Spending
Per this NPR article, that increase was earmarked for Ukraine, further crushing the fake news narrative that Trump was acting on behalf of Putin.
For the U.S., the adjustment means that starting in 2021, it will be paying $150 million less for NATO's annual $2.5 billion maintenance than the approximately $550 million it currently contributes.
But those savings pale in comparison to what has been — despite Trump's frequent criticism of NATO's cost-sharing formula — a sizeable increase in U.S. outlays for military operations in Europe since he took office.
Most of that jump in spending was on the European Deterrence Initiative, an effort to strengthen U.S. military forces in Europe begun by the Obama administration inresponse to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and continued backing of pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine.
During the first three years of that effort, originally known as the European Reassurance Initiative, the Obama administration dedicated about $5.2 billion to building up the American military presence in Europe.
Per this NPR article, that increase was earmarked for Ukraine, further crushing the fake news narrative that Trump was acting on behalf of Putin.