The United States will deal with those nations that do not spend enough on NATO from the standpoint of trade, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
"Some countries that aren't fulfilling their commitments, those countries are going to be dealt with, maybe I’ll deal with them from a trade standpoint, maybe I’ll deal with them in a different way," Trump said.
On Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said plans for member states to increase defence budgets by a combined $400 billion by 2024 marks "unprecedented progress" but allies must not become complacent.
According to NATO figures, the majority of states will meet guidelines stipulating that countries must allocate 2 per cent of their GDP to defence spending. In 2019, nine allies will meet this target, Stoltenberg announced.
The latest figures will seek to cool tensions within the alliance arising from US President Donald Trump’s criticisms of NATO allies for failing to meet defence spending targets. The US currently allocates the highest proportion of its GDP to defence spending and Trump has threatened to withdraw from the alliance if other states do not follow.
