Trump suggests NATO members should spend 5 percent of GDP on defense

(MENAFN) US President-elect Donald Trump has called on NATO member countries to boost their defense spending to 5% of their GDP, criticizing European nations for spending only a fraction of what the US contributes to the alliance. Speaking at a press conference at his Florida estate, Trump reiterated his stance from his first term, emphasizing that European countries, despite being more directly affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, continue to allocate insufficient funds to defense.

Trump pointed out that NATO's current defense spending goal of 2% is inadequate, arguing that European NATO members have been taking advantage of US support. He also stressed that the combined economic strength of European NATO members is comparable to that of the US, and they can afford to invest more in defense.

Trump's comments echo previous criticisms he made about the disparity in defense spending between the US and its NATO allies, noting that Washington spends "billions more" than Europe. According to NATO's latest report, none of its members, including the US, are currently meeting the 5% threshold, with Poland having the highest relative defense spending at over 4% of its GDP.

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