While US media continues to hammer Trump for what ‘uncited sources’ are saying,European media notes that the commander of U.S. European Command said allied nations must pay their fair share of defense costs to deter Russia in comments thatsupport Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s tough talk on NATO.
U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, EUCOM commander and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, emphasized to an audience at last week’s Aspen Security Forum that European countries, as well as the United States, have an obligation to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.
“I support the idea that we have committed to a 2 percent [goal] and of that 20 percent toward modernization,” Scaparrotti said July 28.
“It’s very important; without it, we are not going to outpace Russia’s modernization,” he added. “We have got to have that in order to have a credible force. I reinforce that with them.”
Currently, only five of the 28 countries in NATO have honored the commitment to invest 2 percent of GDP in defense, Scaparrotti said. However, he added that 22 others have increased their investment in defense.
The NATO commander’s comments come about two weeks after Trump caused alarm in mid-July when he suggested the United States might abandon its NATO military commitments if he were elected president.
The Republican presidential candidate suggested allies that haven’t paid their NATO dues wouldn’t be guaranteed of getting help if Russia invaded.
Still Scaparrotti did not weaste the opportunioty to reinforce the ‘Russia is the devil’ narrative… – READ MORE
