A boulder worth 15-20 billion is poised to fall on the state budget, which is already burdened by a thousand pledges from parties and the government. It is the additional funds for defense that have acquired a character of urgency after Ukraine's difficulties in resisting the Russians, after the need to protect navigation in the Red Sea, and after Trump's threats to abandon to their fate the countries that do not "pay their bills to NATO" while also encouraging Putin to invade them. Ten years ago, it was agreed that each NATO country's defense spending should be increased to at least 2% of GDP. Italy is currently at 1.46%, and to reach 2%, a dozen billion are required, which Trump will demand immediately if elected president. Then there's Ukraine, which needs greater military and economic aid right away: Italians are last on the list of donations, with 0.04% of GDP per capita, while Germany has 0.48%, more than ten times as much. In order to align themselves with the Germans, Italy would need to contribute between $5 and $6 billion. Finally, enormous investment will be required to adapt the defence apparatus to new geopolitical problems.
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