Summit in Brussels: Donald Trump calls on NATO Allies to spend 4% of their GDP on military spending | Trade | World | News



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Brussels. The US President, Donald Trump on Wednesday urged his NATO allies to spend 4% of their national GDP on military spending, compared with the 2% agreed at the 2014 Wales summit.

"In his speech at the NATO Summit (19459004) he suggested to countries not only to respect their commitment to allocate 2% of their GDP to defense spending, but the White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said:

A day earlier, during her trip to Brussels, Trump had asked her partners NATO that they increase their military spending to reach 2% of their GDP in 2024, to which they committed themselves in Wales (United Kingdom) in 2014.

Shortly before landing in Brussels, Trump wrote a message on Twitter evacuating his frustration. "Many NATO countries q What we expect them to defend is not only below their current commitment of 2% (which is low), but also behind in many years. They will not repay money in the United States. "

The more equitable distribution of burdens will be one of the central issues of the summit, even though diplomatic sources have insisted that the 2014 pledge is not a legal imperative but "a guideline written in a political text" and which must be completed "according to the economic situation of the countries."

The Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, announced the first estimate of [19459005NATO on defense spending in 2018, according to which Canada and European allies will increase this investment by 3.78%.

In addition, this year, we expect that there are eight allies who have already reached the goal of 2%, compared to the three in 2014.

"All these achievements are overshadowed by the requirements of Trump in the distribution cargo, "diplomatic sources said. 19659011] Heads of State and Government Allies will also support a new military training mission in Iraq to "prevent the reappearance of terrorist groups or the Islamic State" and give the green light to grant more support to countries like Tunisia and Jordan.

Leaders will adopt an initiative to reach, by 2020, 30 mechanized battalions, 30 air squadrons and 30 combatant ships available in a period of up to 30 days.

They will also agree on a new command structure for the NATO which will include a barracks for the Atlantic at Norfolk (Virginia, USA) and a military mobility center at Ulm (Germany).

The response to hybrid threats will also be on the agenda, thanks to new equi support to endangered allies.

After a first session of the North Atlantic Council, the leaders will discuss in a working dinner the various threats to the Alliance, in which they will discuss relations with Russia, with which NATO suspended its practical cooperation because of its involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.

In this context, Stoltenberg estimated that the planned meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin next Monday in Helsinki "is entirely in line with NATO "on Russia, based on the combination of defense and dialogue. many different levels while trying to get a better relationship, but even without a better relationship, it is important to talk to Russia to handle the difficult relationship, to avoid risks, miscalculations, misunderstandings, the incidents "

Already on Thursday, the Allied leaders will discuss with their partners in Afghanistan the status of their mission" decisive support "to the councils and the training of the forces of this country.

Stoltenberg He recalled that 3,000 other trainers have already been added to this mission and that during the summit he hopes that funding for Afghan forces will be extended beyond 2020.

Allied leaders also hope invite the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Once agreement with Greece on the new name of the country finalized and implemented, NATO will propose to become the 30th member of the Alliance.

Source: EFE

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