Five percent of GDP

Trump demands more money from NATO countries

(Bild: Associated Press)

On Tuesday, US President-elect Donald Trump called on NATO member states to significantly increase their defense spending. Instead of the previously targeted two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), the partner countries should invest five percent in future, said the Republican.

Trump made the demand at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach in the US state of Florida. However, the USA itself is currently below Trump's target. According to the latest estimates, they are likely to have reached 3.38 percent last year.

Military pressure on Greenland and Panama?
At the press conference, the future US president also did not rule out using the military to gain control of the Panama Canal or Greenland. When asked by a journalist whether he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic force, Trump said: "No."

He would not commit to this, emphasized the Republican, who will return to the White House on 20 January. It could be that "something will have to be done". Trump had previously described the transit fees on the Panama Canal as "highly unfair". He called for control of the waterway to be handed back to the USA if it was not treated fairly.

The canal - one of the world's most important trade routes - was built by the USA in the early 20th century and controlled for a long time before administration was gradually handed over to Panama. "The Panama Canal is vital for our country. It is run by China," Trump lamented in Mar-a-Lago.

Multiple expressions of interest in Greenland
Trump has also expressed interest in the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, on several occasions. In December, he said: "In the interest of national security and freedom in the world, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. is currently visiting the island - officially, the trip is of a private nature. At the press conference, Trump claimed that it was not even known whether Denmark had a legal claim to Greenland. "But if they do, they should give it up, because we need (Greenland) for national security."

Wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico
Trump also spoke about other topics at the press conference, some of which he did not elaborate on. For example, he said he wanted to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.