US Defense Secretary Praises NATO Allies' Defense Progress, Says Some Countries Must Do More

(Taipei, June 18, CNA) U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday praised progress among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies in meeting defense spending commitments, while stating that some countries need to "do more."

Reuters reported that Hegseth said before the start of a NATO defense ministers' meeting, "Many countries are indeed fulfilling their commitments, and some countries still need to step up, and we will say this frankly both in private and in public."

He emphasized, "I think it's important that friends are frank with each other."

NATO, which will hold its annual summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July, will strive to demonstrate that European member states have increased their defense spending to prove to U.S. President Donald Trump that NATO is moving towards the commitment made last year for countries to spend 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on military expenditure.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, "In terms of defense spending, we are witnessing a huge influx of funds. European countries and Canada will increase their defense spending by more than $90 billion in 2025 compared to 2024, an increase of nearly 20%."

Despite the positive assessment from NATO, some NATO officials have indicated that three European countries, including Slovenia and the Czech Republic, may struggle to reach the key threshold of 2% of GDP for defense spending this year. (Compiled by Hung Chi-yuan) 06181150

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