European leaders are now punching back at the U.S.
歐洲領導人現已開始對美國發起反擊。
French President Emmanuel Macron said, “We don’t mind being G-6, if needs be,”
法國總統馬克龍聲稱,“如有必要,我們也不介意變成六國集團。”
while the E.U. retaliated on June 22 with its own tariffs on U.S. goods.
歐盟則在6月22日開始對美國商品征收關稅。
“The initial idea of playing nice with Donald Trump has been demonstrably proven to yield no benefits,”
“事實證明,最初那種與唐納德·特朗普友好相處的想法沒有帶來任何成效,”
says Anthony Gardner, who served as U.S. ambassador to the E. U. from 2014 to ’17.
曾在2014~2017年間擔任美國駐歐盟大使的安東尼·加德納說。
BUT THERE IS far more at stake when it comes to NATO.
然而,北約問題涉及的利害關系遠不止于此。
Since Putin annexed Crimea in 2014,
自2014年普京吞并克里米亞以來,
nations along NATO’s eastern flank have been increasingly concerned by Russian aggression
北約東翼沿線各國日漸關切俄羅斯的入侵,
and still see the U.S. as the most important backer of their security.
并仍視美國為其安全背后最為堅定的支持者。
“Without the United States, European security would be in great danger,”
“沒有美國,歐洲的安全將處于極大的危險之中,”
says Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics.
拉脫維亞外交部長埃德加·林科維克斯說道。
“We can’t simply build something that would exclude the United States: look at the resources, look at capabilities.”
“我們不能說搞一個把美國排除在外的組織就搞一個:看看美國帶來了多少資源,多大威力。”
Indeed, the Pentagon’s European Deterrence Initiative will spend nearly $4.8 billion this fiscal year and plans on $6.5 billion in 2019.
誠然,五角大樓的歐洲威懾計劃本財年的支出就已接近48億美元,明年的預算更是高達65億美元。
“The American people remain committed to this alliance,” said Air Force Major Sheryll Klinkel, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
“對美國和歐洲的這一聯盟,美國民眾依然初心未改,”五角大樓發言人、空軍少校謝里爾·克林克爾說。
But tensions between the U.S. and Germany may come to the fore,
但美德兩國關系或將陷入緊張狀態,
since Berlin spends comparatively less on defense than other major powers.
因為柏林的國防支出不及其他大國。
With that in mind, German defense officials traveled to Washington ahead of the summit
鑒于此,德國國防官員已經提前前往華盛頓,
to try to sell a plan to increase defense spending to 1.5% by 2025, though it would fall short of the 2% target.
企圖說服美國接受德國在2025年前將國防開支比例上調至1.5%的計劃,盡管并未達到(2014年設置的)2%的目標。
After the meeting, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Germany was “on the right track.”
會后,國防部長詹姆斯·馬蒂斯表示,德國“這么做是對的”。

Rasmussen urges NATO members to keep discussions about defense spending behind closed doors,
拉斯穆森敦促北約各國不要公開討論國防開支,
cautioning that a public disagreement might raise doubt over the U.S.’s commitment to Article 5,
聲稱,公開出現分歧或將引發外界對美國是否遵守了該組織協定的第五條——
the clause that says all NATO members will respond if one is threatened.
該條款規定,如果聯盟有一方受到威脅,所有北約成員國都需作出回應——的質疑。
“Putin might take it as a signal that when push comes to shove, (the U.S.) will not be ready to really defend its allies,” he says.
“(因為)普京可能將此視為危機關頭,(美國)并不會做好保衛盟友的準備的信號,”他說。
“It sends a very dangerous signal to autocrats.”
“這就向獨裁統治者們釋放了非常危險的信號。”
At last year’s summit, Trump caused a stir by refusing to explicitly affirm his commitment to Article 5
在去年的峰會上,在紀念2001年9月11日的恐怖襲擊的演講中,
in a speech at a memorial to the attacks of Sept.11, 2001,
特朗普拒絕明確確認他會遵守協議第五條,為此引發了不小的轟動,
when the U.S. became the first member to invoke the clause.
而就在恐怖襲擊發生的那一年,美國成為了率先援引該條款的成員國。
He corrected that a few weeks later, reportedly on the advice of his national-security team.
幾周后,他更正了說辭,據報道,他是在國家安全團隊的建議下做出的這一舉措。
Rasmussen hopes that this time, Trump will also listen to figures like Mattis, who has served as a NATO commander.
拉斯穆森希望,這一次,川普也會聽取曾擔任北約指揮官的馬蒂斯等人的意見。
In February, the retired general told reporters, “NATO remains our No.1 alliance.”
今年2月,這位退役將軍在接受采訪時告訴記者:“北約仍然是我們的頭號聯盟。”