U.S. Envoy Says Some European Countries Are Falling Short on Defense Spending Pledges

A U.S. envoy said some European countries are not doing enough to meet their defense spending commitments ahead of a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Ankara, Turkey. According to Jin10, the U.S. ambassador to NATO warned that several European allies were lagging in fulfilling agreed defense spending goals. The envoy, Matthew Whitaker, said NATO leaders agreed at a meeting in The Hague last year to raise defense-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, following pressure from Trump. Whitaker said some allies were doing more than others, naming Poland, Nordic countries, Baltic countries, and Germany as leaders. He added that some countries were behind, either because current spending was insufficient or because they lacked a practical and workable path to meet the defense commitments agreed in The Hague. Whitaker said Trump fully expected all allies to act immediately, move onto a path toward the 5% target, and do so as quickly as possible.