Newly-appointed US Defense Secretary James Mattis will meet with fellow NATO defense ministers for the first time Wednesday, representing the administration of US President Donal Trump.
President Trump has recently made controversial comments about NATO being "obsolete" and expressed his disapproval of not all NATO allies paying the full 2 percent of their budgets on defense.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he agrees with President Trump's push for NATO allies to pay their fair share.
Stoltenberg says one of the main topics for discussion in this meeting will be how NATO allies can increase their spending for fair burden sharing between the partner countries.
He says, despite recent criticism, President Trump is committed to the NATO defense mission.
IN: "He has strongly...
OUT: ...fair burden sharing."
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Some NATO allies have expressed worries about being able to pay the agreed-upon 2 percent on NATO defense spending, but Stotlenberg expresses there is some sense of leniency.
IN: "We don't expect...
OUT: ...increase defense spending."
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