NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte criticized US allies for their excessive reliance on Washington for defense, noting that this problem has been present for a long time, while US President Donald Trump called for the allies to increase their spending on defense to 5% of their gross domestic product, expressing his disappointment with most of them after the start of the war against Iran.
AI-generated summary
The United States has repeatedly called on NATO allies to increase their spending on defense, especially after the start of the war against Iran, with Trump expressing his disappointment at the lack of sufficient support by most allies.
Rutte said at a forum in Iowa: “Some of America’s allies relied too much on the United States to do the hard work. They did not invest enough in their own defense.”
According to the Secretary-General, “This problem has existed for a long time, and in the United States itself ‘one administration after another’ has been calling on other NATO participants to increase their contribution to common defense.”
He added: "But everything has changed now, whether because of increasing threats to our security, or because of the emergence of a new understanding of what is required to maintain the strength of the alliance."
Since the beginning of his second presidential term, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO member states for their insufficient contribution, calling on them to increase defense expenditures to 5% of their gross domestic product.
After the start of the war against Iran, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction that NATO members "did not provide him with due support." Last June, during his meeting with Rutte, Trump said that he was "disappointed by most allies."
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
US pressure on NATO to increase defense spending will continue in the coming months
Likely · Within months
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