Banners displaying the NATO logo are placed at the entrance of new NATO headquarters during the move to the new building, in Brussels, Belgium April 19, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.

Europe’s military heavyweights have already said that meeting President Donald Trump’s potential challenge to spend up to 5% of their economic output on security would be challenging

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed doubts about U.S. spending on NATO, stating the U.S. protects NATO members without reciprocal benefits. Speaking after signing an executive order, Trump reiterated his call for

President Donald Trump said NATO countries must sharply increase their defense spending, demanding member states push beyond current benchmarks that many of them already struggle to hit.

NATO countries should increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. It would be a fair approach to reduce the financial burden on the United States, stated US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

I’m also going to ask all NATO nations to increase defense spending to 5% of [gross domestic product], which is what it should have been years ago,” he said in remarks given virtually to the. He noted that “most nations didn’t pay until I came along” in his first term in office.