Donald Trump is committed to NATO and is right to push Europe to increase funding, says British Defense Secretary John Healey

The defense secretary has insisted that Donald Trump is committed to NATO and is right to push other European nations to put more resources into the security alliance.

John Healey dismissed suggestions that the US president-elect would withdraw from NATO, the military alliance made up of 30 European countries plus the US and Canada, after Mr Trump discussed it in previous reports.

Mr Healey told Sky News: “I don’t expect the US to turn away from NATO.”

“They recognize the importance of the alliance, they recognize the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.”

“But I say, and I have been arguing for some time, that the European nations in NATO need to do more of the heavy lifting.”

He added that Mr. Trump had “rightly pushed European nations to do more to better fund NATO.”

The defense secretary said U.S. commitment to NATO remained during the previous Trump administration and he had no reason to believe support would be withdrawn during his second term.

Current political news: Starmer in Paris for Armistice Day

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO, complaining that the US pours too much of its budget into the alliance, while accusing European countries of spending too little on defense.

During the campaign, he said the United States would only protect NATO members from a future Russian attack if they met their spending commitments.

Members committed to spending at least 2% of GDP on defense by 2024, with 23 of the 32 countries expected to do so by the end of the year.

Poland, which borders Ukraine and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, is the biggest spender at 4.1% of GDP, Estonia is second at 3.4% and the United States is third at 3.4%.

The UK ranks ninth on the list, reaching 2.3% of GDP under the previous Conservative government.

Read more:
Trump and Putin discuss Ukraine
What a Trump presidency means for global wars and European security

Mr Healey said his government was committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defense but gave no timetable for achieving that target.

He said Labor was starting to make good on its promise by increasing defense spending by £3 billion next year.

“This is a sign of a government that recognizes that the primary duty of any government is to defend the country and ensure the safety of our citizens,” he added.

According to the Washington Post and Reuters, Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the American victory and told him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, although the Kremlin denied the phone call took place on Monday.

Multiple sources familiar with the call told them the president-elect reminded Mr. Putin of the significant U.S. military presence in Europe and discussed the goal of peace on the continent.