"The United States expects all NATO countries to increase their defense spending and fulfill their military financing obligations," said Matthew Whitaker, the US Ambassador to NATO.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, Ambassador Whitaker emphasized that the era of relying solely on Washington for European security must come to an end.
"We expect all allies to increase their defense spending," he noted.
Whitaker stated that for too long, European nations assumed the US would unilaterally guarantee and finance Europe's security, a paradigm that he insists must change.
The diplomat acknowledged that Washington welcomes efforts by the Netherlands and several other nations to bolster their armed forces and increase security funding. However, he maintained that current measures remain insufficient to meet modern geopolitical challenges.
Addressing recent comments from Spain, which suggested that NATO objectives could be achieved with lower expenditures, the ambassador expressed skepticism regarding such an approach.
"Let them prove it. If you think you can provide defense for less money, teach us how. But we all know that frigates, tanks, and other military hardware cost a lot of money," he stressed.
NATO's defense spending guidelines, which encourage member states to allocate at least 2% of their GDP to defense, have become a focal point of transatlantic security discussions. Under the administration of US President Donald Trump, Washington has consistently pushed for a more equitable distribution of the financial burden among alliance members to ensure collective readiness in an increasingly volatile global security environment.
