NATO states respond to Trump's criticism



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Several NATO member states opposed letters from US President Donald Trump criticizing them for insufficient defense spending. AP reported Tuesday.

Trump intensified his criticism before the North Atlantic summit next week, to be held from July 11 to 12 in Brussels. The leaders of the White House president, calling for increased defense spending, received several NATO members including Norway, Belgium, Germany, and Canada, The New York Times

] For example, the Norwegian Prime Minister Erne Solberg wrote that his country is the only member of the Alliance bordering Russia, which has no "credible plan" to honor the commitment to defend two percent of GDP in defense. Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen on Tuesday challenged Trump's comments, saying Norway was taking steps to achieve the goals of the common defense. the two per cent threshold agreed. For example, new military equipment means much less than what NATO's goals set. Similarly, the head of the German Defense Department, Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan responded

: "We stand up for the defense. goal of the two percent .signal responsibility, "said von der Leyen, quoted by AP.The White House has not directly addressed the Presidential Letters, but only confirmed that the pressure to increase military spending on the Allies is a long-term part of its political agenda.

At a summit in Walsh that took place after the annexation of Crimea, Russia will end reductions in defensive budgets and increase their spending in this area at 2% of GDP over a decade.

The AP recalls that neither nor states that do not meet the two percent threshold actually give up 39, silver to the Alliance The agreement c the funds it allocates to the army in its own budgets. In addition, the burden-sharing is shared by the purchase of new military equipment and participation in NATO operations. However, the United States still places it in the army more than any other member country together. In 2016, it was 3.61% of GDP, or 664 billion dollars

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