NATO Secretary General Credits Trump for Boosting Alliance Defense Spending

LONDON, September 16. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump's pressure on NATO allies to increase military spending gave the alliance a much-needed "shot of adrenaline," said Secretary General of the bloc Mark Rutte.

"We should give credit to President Trump. I know he pushed hard on defense spending, but ultimately he is right. We needed this shot of adrenaline," Rutte said in his annual lecture at the British Ditchley Foundation event.

According to the Secretary General, against this backdrop, European countries have felt "a newfound determination" to provide the resources, forces, and capabilities necessary for NATO and to enhance the alliance’s combat readiness.

Among the priority areas for investment, Rutte named long-range precision weapons, integrated air and missile defense systems, drones, and intelligence capabilities. He recalled that at the latest NATO summit alone, the allies announced new arms purchases worth over $50 billion.

In recent years, the Trump administration has begun to review the US military presence in Europe. Washington announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 military personnel from Germany and the reduction of some joint programs. It also launched a comprehensive review of the deployment of American forces in Europe. The US explains these steps by the need to reallocate resources and call on European allies to assume greater responsibility for ensuring their own security and to increase defense spending.