NATO countries must increase their military spending to 5% of GDP to deal with future threats, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said before a meeting with his colleagues in Brussels, BTA reports.
“The United States and President Donald Trump believe that the world is safer and freer when NATO is strong“, Hegseth stressed. According to him, Trump is the key leader who can unite the countries in the pursuit of peace, recalling that the US president has already held talks with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. "President Trump's goal is to achieve lasting peace in Europe, end the conflict and restore stability in the interests of Europe and the United States," he added.
Hegseth said a strong NATO was crucial for global security and stressed that the United States would continue to play a leading role in this process.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also called for increased military spending. "If we do not increase defense investment, in four to five years we will not be able to defend ourselves," he warned. "The United States rightly expects its European and Canadian allies to take on more responsibility," Rutte concluded.