18 out of 31 countries will reach the military spending target in 2024

“We are making real progress, the European allies are spending more,” welcomed the Secretary General of the Alliance on Wednesday.

Eighteen NATO countries out of 31 will reach the objective of 2% of GDP in military spending this year, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday February 14, a few days after Donald Trump’s attacks against the bad payers in Europe. “This is another record number”, welcomed Jens Stoltenberg to the press. In 2014, only three countries had reached this 2% target, he added.

“We are making real progress, European allies are spending more”, he insisted. However, he immediately emphasized, “some allies still have a long way to go.” “We agreed at the summit (from Vilnius, Lithuania) on the fact that all allies should invest 2% and that this 2% was a minimum”he explained.

Donald Trump’s words

Long demanded by the United States, the increase in defense spending by European countries was thunderously recalled last week by Donald Trump, former president and likely Republican candidate in the November election. Recounting, during a campaign meeting, a conversation he had with a head of state, the former president and candidate said: “one of the presidents… stood up and said: ‘Sir, if we don’t pay and we are attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’ wouldn’t protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do what they want. You have to pay your bills’.”

This type of statement “undermines the security of all of us, including that of the United States”reacted Jens Stoltenberg, while American President Joe Biden denounced comments “distressing and dangerous”.