NATO Chief: Members’ Defense Budgets Are Rising

Bloomberg News reports:

A record 18 out of NATO’s 31 countries are expected to meet the alliance’s defense spending goal this year, a commitment Donald Trump has been pushing for in his White House reelection campaign.

“European allies are spending more” toward the bloc’s target to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. “However, some allies still have some way to go.” He added that allies are “making real progress.”

Asked about Trump’s comments, Stoltenberg said: “NATO has been able to prevent a military attack against any NATO ally for 75 years. We have done that because it has been absolutely clearly communicated from all NATO allies at any time that we’re there to protect all allies.”

Read the full article. Trump appears to believe that NATO members must contribute to a common defense fund and that those not meeting the 2% goal “owe money” to the United States.

NATO allies ramp up defense budgets amid worries about Trump https://t.co/XphSOwNhcD via @nat_droz @EllenAMilligan pic.twitter.com/r8LSJnxhiT

— Zoe Schneeweiss (@ZSchneeweiss) February 14, 2024