All NATO countries must increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, but the United States is not required to meet these standards.
This was stated by US President Donald Trump, Politico writes.
The US is not obliged to spend 5% of GDP on defense
Trump has long insisted that NATO countries spend more on defense. At the same time, the president said that America should not spend 5%. Currently, the United States spends about 3.4% of GDP on the military.
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“We have supported NATO for so long… So I don’t think we should, but I think NATO countries definitely should,” he added.
Trump's statements, which could anger leaders of other North Atlantic Alliance countries, came just days before the summit in the Netherlands.
At the meeting, leaders of the 32 member states will discuss plans for defense spending and the organization of NATO forces. Most alliance countries currently spend slightly more than 2% of GDP, and some plan to increase that figure to 3% over the next one to two years.
Politico writes that Trump's refusal to increase the defense budget may not please Republicans in Congress, who insist on growth up to 5% of GDP.
Party leaders have already criticized his plans for not increasing spending beyond one-time investments. Reaching the proposed level would mean a Pentagon defense budget of about $1.4 trillion.
So far, only Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have formally agreed to spend 5% of GDP on defense. Most other NATO countries are expected to join the initiative at the summit.
But not everyone agrees. For example, Spain is going to oppose increasing defense spending.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a letter that this was not only an unrealistic goal for the country, but also counterproductive.
