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Not Good Enough: Trump Blasts NATO Allies Over Defence Spending; Demands Immediate Hikes In Military Budgets
US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
After attending annual North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) annual summit in Brussels, United States (US) President Donald Trump tweeted out his displeasure with NATO allies over their defence budget, ANI has reported.
Trump is reportedly forcing the US’ NATO allies to increase their defence expenditure from current less than two percent of GDP to four percent. Trump also complained that the US bears unfair share of expenses for Europe's defence costs.
In 2014, NATO nations had agreed to move towards spending two percent of their GDPs on defence by the year 2025.
The meeting moved on expected lines amid deteriorating relations between the US and NATO. Trump further said that only five out of 29 NATO members had met the two percent GDP expenditure on defence and asked rest of the members to adhere to the promise immediately and not by 2025.
Trump also took issue with the nations continuing to depend on Russia for their energy requirements, a country his opponents back home allege he colluded with during presidential elections.
Trump in particular targeted Germany, seen as the leader of European NATO nations for paying Russia, while depending on the US for its security.
Trump’s arm-twisting tactics have led to an unprecedented upheaval in the global world order, with the US increasingly at odds with traditional allies. The disruption in defence ties with NATO nations comes amidst the threat of a trade war with trading partners like China and Europe.
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