Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Trump Urges NATO Member to “Pay their Fair Share” of Defense Cost

Trump Urges NATO Member to “Pay their Fair Share” of Defense Cost

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his support to NATO, but urged its members to "pay their fair share for the cost of defense." 
"Many nations owe vast sums of money from past years and it is very unfair to the United States. These nations must pay what they owe," Trump said at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Trump added that he thanked Merkel for Germany's commitment to increase defense spending and work toward contributing at least two percent of GDP to defense.
In a January interview with European media, Trump said NATO was "obsolete because it was not taking care of terror," and he complained that various members of the bloc were not paying their dues, which was "very unfair to the United States."

Following his inauguration, Trump has toned down his criticism on NATO, reaffirming on several occasions his strong support to the bloc. However, he continued to call on NATO members to meet their financial obligations.  (Xinhua)