Page 26 - bneIntelliNews monthly country report Russia May 2024

2.13 Politics - misc
● International Politics
Western countries must spend $10T on defence to effectively deter dictatorial regimes. In 2024, defence spending by European NATO members will reach 2% of GDP ($470B) for the first time. However, to ensure effective defence and maintain its deterrence policy, NATO countries must increase their military budgets to about 4% of GDP. If the G7 countries want to reach this level, they will need more than $10T in the next decade, writes Bloomberg. Only the Russian Federation, which is waging a war, can afford such military expenditures. In 2023, it spent 4.4% of GDP on defence and security, and in the 2024 budget, more than ₽10.7T (about 6% of GDP) has been earmarked for these purposes. Among NATO countries, Poland spent the most in 2023 (3.9%); for the US, this figure was 3.3%; South Korea spent 2.8%, and Iran, which provides the Russian Federation with drones, 2.2%. China's spending was 1.3% of GDP, but this year it will grow to a five-year high of 7.2%.
On April 2 Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has proposed a $100B five-year fund to aid Ukraine, but all members must reach agreement on the measure. According to Bloomberg, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposes establishing a fund of allied contributions worth $100B over five years for Ukraine as part of a package that alliance leaders will sign off on when they gather in Washington in July. According to people familiar with the discussions, allies are still discussing Stoltenberg’s proposal and any accounting mechanics, including whether to factor in bilateral aid to Ukraine into the overall sum. According to individuals who spoke anonymously, the proposal, which needs approval from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s 32 members, will likely be altered before leaders agree on a final version. NATO has not provided any additional information. If the NATO allies back Stoltenberg’s proposal, the move to take a more active role in providing aid for Ukraine would mark a paradigm shift for the military alliance, which has previously distanced itself from those efforts to avoid being potentially drawn into a wider war with Russia.
The creation of a tribunal for Russia for crimes in Ukraine was supported by 44 countries, according to the relevant declaration. European countries, the US, The UK, Australia, and Japan are among its signatories. The countries emphasised the importance of Russia's full responsibility for crimes against Ukraine.
Poland, France, and Germany believe that the concession policy towards Putin was naive. Russia's military invasion of Ukraine proved that the policy of concessions was "naive," emphasised the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, and her colleagues from France, Stéphane
26 RUSSIA Country Report May 2024 www.intellinews.com