US President Donald Trump believes that all NATO countries, except the US, should spend 5% of their GDP on defence.

Source:European Pravda; Trump speaking to journalists

Details:The journalist asked Trump if he still believed that NATO countries should allocate 5% of GDP to defence. The US president said he believed it should be so but spoke about the US in this regard.

"I don't think we should. But I think that they [NATO countries] should, absolutely. We have been supporting NATO for so long. In many cases, I believe, paying almost 100% of the costs. So I don't think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely," Trump said.

When asked about Spain, which this week publicly opposed the Alliance's plan to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP and defence-related spending to 1.5% of GDP, the US president said that "NATO will have to deal" with the country.

"Spain has always been a very low payer. Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay. Spain has been notorious for low pay," Trump said.

Trump also could not resist criticising Canada.

"You know who else is a low payer? Just about the lowest? A place called Canada. Because Canada said, ‘Why should we pay when the United States will protect us for free?’" Trump said.

Read also: No promises, just funding: NATO Hague summit to approve new ways to support Ukraine in fight

Background: 

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte asking him to consider a "more flexible formula" for defence spending.
• Madrid's position has sparked outrage among other NATO members, who fear it could derail a compromise to satisfy US President Donald Trump.
• The media reported that the permanent representatives of the North Atlantic Alliance met urgently to discuss Spain's blocking of the agreement on increasing defence spending on Friday 20 June.

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