NATO Urges EU to Increase Military Budgets

Local Editor

NATO's chief urged alliance members to cough up the cash needed to secure the "transatlantic bond" that the US president-elect has threatened to cut, unless members contribute the required two percent of their GDP to the common "defense" goal. 

During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly slammed NATO, calling the alliance "obsolete." The Republican also suggested that under his administration, the US may refuse to come to the aid of NATO allies unless they "pay their bills" and "fulfill their obligations."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Trump over the phone last week, after which "progress has been made on fairer burden-sharing."

While no details were made public about Friday's conversation, this Wednesday, Stoltenberg urged NATO members to follow the British example and contribute 2 percent of their GDP to the military alliance.

Following the talks with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, the NATO Secretary General underlined the importance of the "transatlantic bond."

Besides the UK, Poland, Estonia, Greece, and the United States are the only members of the 28-country alliance meeting the 2 percent threshold.

The US contributes the highest proportion of its GDP to the military block, some 3.61 percent, according to NATO's 2015 Annual Report.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team