Rex Tillerson
U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson intends to seek from NATO allies to increase defence spending. On Tuesday, March 28, RIA Novosti reported, citing a senior representative of the state Department.
According to him, this will be discussed at the next Ministerial meeting of the Alliance. “The first goal that will advance the Secretary of state Tillerson, to force the allies to resume their obligations by increasing resources for the military spending of NATO”, — said interlocutor Agency.
He added that five States-members of NATO has fulfilled commitments to increase defense spending to two percent of GDP. Seven has said it is ready to comply with the agreement in the near future. The rest of the country Washington intends to exert “pressure”.
On 20 March, the representative of the foreign Ministry of Germany Martin Schaefer said that the medium-term financial plans of Germany does not provide increase defense spending to two percent of GDP. In addition, he urged to “be realistic” in the issue of increasing military budgets.
On 18 March, the President of the United States Donald trump expressed the opinion that Berlin is supposedly “owes huge sums of money, NATO and the United States,” and noted that it is necessary to pay a “powerful and very expensive defense that we provide in Germany.”
According to TASS, Tillerson is also going to bring to the attention of partners that trump has another “lasting purpose”: according to the American leadership, NATO must “broaden its role in combating terrorism.”
Tillerson’s visit in Brussels to meet with colleagues from the countries-members of NATO scheduled for March 31.
The United States join the NATO budget by about 70 percent.