RT.com
25 Apr 2025, 01:15 GMT+10
The US secretary of state has urged member countries to increase defense spending
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed pressure on NATO members to increase their defense contributions, describing the current arrangement within the military bloc as the US and "a bunch of junior partners."
While being part of NATO is in the US' interests, its members must shoulder their share of the responsibilities, otherwise it's not really an alliance, but a "dependency," he told The Free Press in an interview published on Wednesday.
Washington currently covers a significant portion of NATO's budget, while several member nations continue to fall short of the bloc's agreed-upon target of spending 2% of their GDP on defense. Rubio has argued that this imbalance weakens NATO's credibility and cohesion.
"NATO is good as long as NATO is real, as long as it's a real defense alliance, not the United States and a bunch of junior partners that aren't doing their fair share," the top US diplomat said. "It has to be a NATO in which your partners are carrying their weight."
At his first meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers earlier this month, Rubio reassured allies that US President Donald Trump is not anti-NATO and that the country will remain in the bloc, but he's also asking his counterparts to make sacrifices and raise defense spending to 5%.
The push aligns with recent comments from other senior US officials. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has said that Washington expects all members to at least meet the 2% threshold by the upcoming summit in June.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned European NATO countries this week that they must spend more on their militaries, because the US won't guarantee European security alone.
"The time of the United States... being the sole guarantor of European security has passed. It's long overdue, Europe has to step up, fund its military and lead. NATO needs to step up," he said in a speech at the Army War College on Wednesday.
Defense spending has long been a point of contention within NATO. The June summit is expected to address this issue directly, with potential revisions to defense investment pledges on the agenda.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Illinois Intelligencer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Illinois Intelligencer.
More InformationThe US secretary of state has urged member countries to increase defense spending US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed pressure...
ABU DHABI, 24th April, 2025 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman...
Washington DC [US], April 24 (ANI): Several Indian American organisations have strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Jammu...
New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): The Patiala House Court of Delhi dismissed a plea filed by Tahawwur Rana on Thursday, seeking permission...
Ukraine leader's visit to South Africa is not a bilateral courtesy, but part of a grander Euro-American project to fracture the Global...
Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 24 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan paid his tributes to Madhusudan...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: In November, a passenger plane was about to land at San Francisco airport when the pilots suddenly saw a drone flying...
LAHORE, Pakistan: A Christian man in the town of Jaranwala, in eastern Pakistan, will appeal a death sentence given to him by an anti-terrorism...
CUTID, Philippines: On April 18, Good Friday, Christian believers in the Philippines were nailed to crosses in a reenactment of Jesus...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States will limit visas for more than 250 officials from Nicaragua, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio...
LANSING, Michigan: The Health Department in Michigan confirmed a measles outbreak in Montcalm County this week, marking the first such...
WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on May 15 about President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict automatic...