Today’s news / NATO chief warns Europe on solo defense stance
NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, says in an interview with Reuters that "the European Union cannot defend Europe". (Archive photo). Photo: John Thys/Ritzau Scanpix

NATO chief warns Europe on solo defense stance

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cautioned Europe against relying solely on its own for defense and security in an interview with Reuters. Highlighting that the EU cannot defend Europe on its own, he noted that 80% of NATO’s defense expenditure comes from non-EU allies. The remarks follow Donald Trump’s statements that as president, the USA would not defend NATO countries that do not contribute sufficiently. Stoltenberg emphasized the essential role of non-EU NATO members like the USA, Canada, Turkey, Norway, and Iceland in European security. As of now, NATO and the EU have 22 common members, and Stoltenberg announced 18 out of 31 NATO countries are expected to meet the defense spending goal of 2% of GDP by 2024. European NATO countries are significantly increasing their defense budgets, investing a total of $380 billion this year.