MOSCOW (Sputnik) – During the presidential campaign, US President Donald Trump criticized NATO for its members’ non-compliance with the commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on their defense.
“From my point of view … the 2-percent goal basing on only military criteria is important but not enough. I believe that we should replace the 2-percent goal with the 3-percent goal that will embrace military expenditure, development aid and humanitarian efforts,” Ischinger said.
He called the 3-percent obligation a “comprehensive political goal,” which would suit German foreign policy.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis noted that only five out of 28 NATO member states fully met the commitment. Mattis warned that the United States may moderate its commitments to the alliance if its member states fail to fulfill their obligations.
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