Rutte urges allies to reach defense spending targets

By C-SPAN

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on allies to present "clear, concrete and capable plans" to meet the alliance's defense spending targets at this week's summit in Ankara, Turkey. Last year, NATO's 32 members agreed to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2035. At this year's summit, they are expected to show how they plan to reach that goal. "The evidence we see so far is impressive," Mr. Rutte said Monday. "Just one year into a ten-year project, we see that European allies and Canada are already investing around 4% of their GDP in defense and security." President Trump has long criticized European allies for underspending on defense, and the Pentagon recently launched a force posture review aimed at potentially withdrawing some U.S. troops from the continent. "In the end it's up to every ally, including the United States, to decide how they build the relationship with the other 31," Mr. Rutte said. #nato #markrutte #cspan