Some allies want to lower the current target of 2% of GDP to a minimum. Negotiations between defense ministers are planned on this issue.
Some NATO allies want to tighten defense spending targets. Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, said this in an interview with dpa, published by the agency on Tuesday, January 3.
“Some allies are strongly in favor of making the current 2 percent the minimum,” Stoltenberg said.
The Chairman of the North Atlantic Council will lead the negotiations on this issue.
“We will meet, we will have ministerial meetings, talks in the capitals,” he said.
The task is to reach an agreement no later than the next regular NATO summit. It will be held in Vilnius on July 11 and 12.
dpa: We can talk about Poland, Lithuania and the UK
The current target of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) was agreed at the NATO summit in Wales in 2014. Jens Stoltenberg did not specify which alliance indicated at the current stage to insist on the adjustments.
As reported by dpa in connection with diplomatic sources, we can talk about the eastern NATO allies – Poland and Lithuania, as well as the UK.
Germany and some other countries, such as Canada and Belgium, are considered opponents of this idea. Today, they spend less than 2% of GDP on defense.
It is expected, for example, that for Germany at the end of 2022 the number will be only 1.44%.
Stoltenberg: The Kremlin is preparing for a protracted war in Ukraine
Earlier, on December 16, 2022, Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with AFP that the Kremlin is preparing for a protracted war in Ukraine.
In this regard, all NATO states that support this country should continue to provide Kyiv with weapons until Russian President Vladimir Putin realizes that “he cannot win on the battlefield,” Stoltenberg stressed. .
According to him, there are no signs yet that Putin has given up on the goal of controlling Ukraine.
“We should not underestimate Russia. Russia is planning a long war,” warned the alliance’s general secretary. “We see that they (the Russian authorities – ed.) are mobilizing more forces, that they are also ready to suffer heavy losses, that they are trying to get more weapons and ammunition. We must understand that President Putin is ready for a long war and the start of new offensives,” added Stoltenberg.
On March 24, 2022, NATO countries agreed to extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s mandate for another year, until September 30, 2023.
A source: Russian Service DW
news Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel Athletistic
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.