White House: Asia-Pacific allies can increase defense spending if NATO can
A White House spokesperson has suggested that US allies in the Asia-Pacific region should be able to raise their defense spending if NATO member countries can.
NATO agreed at a meeting in The Hague earlier this week that members will raise their defense and related spending to 5 percent of GDP.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday, "This will be the most significant reinforcement of NATO's collective defense in the history of the NATO alliance."
She stressed that as a result, the US will carry less burden and its NATO allies will be stronger than ever before.
When asked if Trump would demand that Asia-Pacific allies increase their defense spending, she said, "If our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do it, I think our allies and our friends in the Asia-Pacific region can do it as well."
The US Defense Department has indicated that US allies in Asia, including Japan, need to raise their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.
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