NATO says Europe meets US call to increase defense spending
Europe has responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's demands to increase defense spending.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of NATO's Military Committee, stated this in an interview with Bloomberg on Saturday, according to Ukrinform.
"We have a NATO defense planning process process to give us the capability that we need, and we will acquire that in time ... to reach a total spending level of 5% of GDP. So I think we are in a good shape," Cavo Dragone said.
He added that the region's relations with the Pentagon are stable and free of "dramatic situations."
"As a military side, we don't have any drama going on with the United States," Cavo Dragone said.
Asked about the recent wave of Russian drone incursions into the airspace of alliance member states, including the recent incident in which drones hit a residential building in Romania on Friday, Cavo Dragone said NATO should not "overreact."
His remarks came after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made sharp comments about Europe and NATO at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore. Hegseth praised allies in Asia and noted stable U.S. relations with China, while criticizing long-standing defense partners in Europe.
"When our interests align, we act together with focused resolve," Hegseth said of allies in Asia. "When our interests diverge, we adjust pragmatically without the drama or the moralizing. I think Western Europe might take note."
He added, without providing details, that long-standing partners in Europe and NATO "have some big decisions to make."
The Trump administration has demanded that allies increase defense spending and take responsibility for security in their own regions. At last year's NATO summit, all alliance members except Spain committed to spending 3.5% of GDP on direct defense expenditures and an additional 1.5% on related security areas. Since then, several allies, especially Germany, have increased their spending and are seeking to showcase their progress at the upcoming summit in Ankara.
In recent weeks, Trump has also shocked Europe with sudden and contradictory statements about troop withdrawals. The United States then informed allies that it was reducing strategic resources allocated to Europe in the event of a crisis or war. European allies are angered by the abruptness of the announcements, while the United States and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have argued that all the decisions were expected.
Speaking on Saturday, Hegseth said Europe is finally catching up, but criticized it for opening its borders and weakening its armies.
As Ukrinform reported, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is convinced that the United States remains committed to the Alliance's collective defense obligations, but expects Europe to take on greater responsibility for defense.
Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto