Trump might remind Europeans that they are not doing their homework on security - Pabriks

  • 2024-11-06
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Donald Trump, the United States' presumed President-elect, is likely to repeatedly remind European nations that they are not doing their homework on security, Latvia's former defense minister Artis Pabriks (For Latvia's Development) told LETA.

According to Pabriks, it is already pretty clear that Trump has won the US presidential election.

The former defense minister said that it is hard to predict at the moment whether US military support to NATO member states, including the Baltics, will decrease or increase. "Most probably, Trump will once more remind the Europeans that they are not doing their homework on security. And unfortunately, we here in the region, must agree with that," Pabriks said, adding that the Baltic states must make every effort to tell the Americans what they are doing and what worries them. "We also need to side with the US' position and ask Europe to step up".

In Pabriks' view, with its capabilities, Europe should be able to deal with the Russian threat on its own. At the same time, for the sake of common interests, European and US interests in the Pacific region should be aligned.

"We need to prepare much more effectively to defend our own country and not wait for others. It is not just about money for defence, but also about supporting the military industry and increasing the number of soldiers. After all, we are is the situation of war and need to act accordingly," Pabriks stressed.

Although US forces have been in Latvia for several years, it is currently difficult to predict whether US troops will leave Latvia after Trump's inauguration, as Trump's policies cannot be predicted, said Pabriks, who believes that cooperation during the previous Trump presidency has been very good.

As reported, Republican candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday declared his victory in the US presidential election that took place on Tuesday.