Head of NATO: after criticism from Trump, Europe is ready to invest 2% of GDP in defense annually
Kyiv • UNN
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that European countries are on track to reach the alliance's 2% of GDP defense spending target by 2024, and that the US needs allies.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Europe is reaching the alliance's spending targets and the United States needs allies. This statement came a few days after Donald Trump said that Washington might not defend countries that do not invest "enough" in defense. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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According to Stoltenberg, the European countries of the transatlantic alliance will invest $380 billion in defense this year, so their total spending will amount to about 2% of GDP in 2024, compared to 1.85% in 2013.
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On Saturday, Trump shocked Europeans by hintingthat he would encourage Russia to "do whatever they want" to NATO allies who don't spend enough. 31 allies have pledged to spend 2% of their output on defense, but not all have done so.
I expect 18 allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defense this year.
Stoltenberg added that total military spending is set for another record year after two years of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. It is noted that this number will be higher than last year.
Responding to journalists' questions about the controversy surrounding Trump's comments, Stoltenberg said that the United States knows how important the defense alliance is to its own security.
The United States has never fought alone. The criticism we hear is not about NATO, but about NATO allies not spending enough on NATO.
Stoltenberg noted that the announced increase in military spending by European allies is proof that this message has been heard.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the diplomats said that NATO's new strategy should include further increasing European defense spending and addressing topics of great interest to the United States, such as China and the Indo-Pacific, and being cautious about Trump.
Trump's top national security adviser, Keith Kellogg, told Reuters on Tuesday that he will push for changes to NATO. After all, if the former president returns to power, he believes that this could lead to some member states losing protection from external attack.
NATO members have been steadily increasing their defense spending since Russian troops annexed the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and occupied parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014.
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Jens Stoltenberg also urged the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives to pass a "vital" multibillion-dollar military aid package for Ukraine, warning lawmakers that China would be emboldened if Russia wins its war.
I hope that the House of Representatives will agree to support Ukraine, because this is not charity. It is an investment in our own security. The European Union cannot defend Europe. Eighty percent of NATO's defense spending comes from non-EU NATO allies.