NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss strengthening the alliance's defense capabilities. The meeting comes amid increased pressure from the United States to increase defense spending and the growing threat from Russia, DPA reports, BTA reports.
“This is a key moment for our common security, as the challenges are too great for any one country to deal with alone“, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said before the start of the two-day talks.
Although allies have already pledged more than 20 billion euros for Ukraine's security by 2025, Rutte stressed that “the threat from Russia remains“. The alliance's unity, however, has been called into question after the administration of US President Donald Trump signaled possible pressure on Ukraine to abandon its NATO membership ambitions and make territorial concessions in search of a peace agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to confirm this position in Brussels.
Among the participants in the meeting are Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Szybiga, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas, as well as representatives of NATO's Indo-Pacific partners.
In June, the alliance summit will discuss the possibility of raising the minimum defense spending above the current 2% of GDP. Washington is pushing allies to increase their military budgets to 5% of GDP, accusing European NATO members of relying on American military power.
In response, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that alliance countries would have to increase their military spending "well above 3%" of GDP.