Reference Message Network reported on April 4 according to a report by Reuters on April 3, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 3 that Washington is still committed to maintaining NATO, but hopes that member states will increase defense spending and will give them some time.
The report said that Rubio made the above remarks at a meeting with foreign ministers of NATO countries in Brussels. Some European officials said that this commitment from the United States was to reassure them amid rising tensions caused by Trump's new tariff policies.
Rubio called the allies' suspicion of America's commitment a "delusional syndrome." He told reporters, "The United States is a NATO member... The United States is as active in NATO as ever before."
Referring to Trump, Rubio said, "He is not against NATO. He opposes a NATO that is unable to fulfill its treaty obligations."
It was reported that Trump had stated that NATO countries should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. This is far higher than the current target of 2%, and none of the NATO countries, including the United States, have reached this level.
He said, "We do hope that when people leave, they can reach a consensus that we are on a realistic path, with each member country making and fulfilling commitments to raise defense spending to 5%. This includes the United States. No one expects this to be achieved in one or two years. But this path must be taken." (Translated by Pan Xiaoyan)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7489315888509551139/
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