At the World Economic Forum in Davos, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that Donald Trump’s criticism of Europe was appropriate: the US President accused him of low defence spending. "[Trump] is right, the problem is not the United States, but Europe," Rutte said in a debate about the situation in Ukraine. The former Dutch prime minister says that many European countries, including his government in the past, have failed to meet the NATO target of 2% of GDP for military spending. According to Rutt, although spending has increased in recent years, it is not enough to deal with alleged long-term threats, highlighting Russia’s growing aggressiveness.

Richard Grenelle, Trump’s ally and presidential delegate for “special missions”, questioned the financial commitment of European countries, after which the aforementioned statements came. Grenelle stressed that it is not feasible for Ukraine to join NATO as long as the current member states do not meet their economic commitments. "Americans cannot be asked to continue to fund collective defense when others do not provide what is necessary," he argued. Ukraine, which wants to join the Atlantic Alliance, meanwhile, continues to face military aggression from Russia, but depends on international support.

For his part, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has urged NATO members to "avoid internal hostilities and focus on the external threat represented by Russia." His words were clear: "The enemy is Vladimir Putin. We need unity, not pointing fingers within the alliance." The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, also visited Davos and proclaimed that Europe must assume "greater responsibilities".