Europeans Seeking Independence From US by Boosting Military Spending – Scholar

• Europeans Seeking Independence From US by Boosting Military Spending – Scholar
  by https://sputniknews.com/
  European countries have a choice whether or not to give in to Washington’s pressure, Pascal Boniface, director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), told Sputnik, commenting on Donald Trump’s wrath at the recent NATO summit in Brussels.
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  “Trump’s statements did not go unnoticed, judging by the persistence with which he made them. NATO is closely connected to the United States,” Pascal Boniface, director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), told Sputnik France. “In any case, the increase in military spending upon the demand of the US and NATO is accompanied by pressure, as we could see yesterday morning, in relation to Germany, for example.”
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  At the recent NATO summit in Brussels, which took place on July 11-12, US President Donald Trump reiterated his discontent with Washington’s European allies which have not met the 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) commitment.
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  “Presidents have been trying unsuccessfully for years to get Germany and other rich NATO Nations to pay more toward their protection from Russia. They pay only a fraction of their cost. The US pays tens of Billions of Dollars too much to subsidize Europe, and loses Big on Trade!” the US president tweeted on July 12, singling out Germany and stressing the necessity to increase the defense expenditures from 2 percent to 4 percent of GDP.
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