Reaction has come from Europe to US demands to increase defense spending.
Oxu.Az reports that Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, gave a statement to Bloomberg.
According to him, NATO has a defense development plan that will allow total defense spending to reach 5% of GDP.
The Admiral spoke shortly after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth harshly criticized Europe and NATO at the Shangri-La Dialogue international security forum in Singapore. Hegseth praised allies in Asia and highlighted stable US-China relations, stressing that Western Europe should take note.
Notably, the Trump administration demanded allies worldwide to increase defense spending and take responsibility for regional security. While this pushed NATO allies to strengthen Europe's defense and reduce dependence on the US, Washington continued cooperation with Asia, deepening military coordination.
At a major NATO summit last year, all allies except Spain committed to spending 3.5% of GDP on defense and an additional 1.5% on related security areas. Several allies, notably Germany, have since increased spending and aim to demonstrate progress at the next summit in Ankara.
