Trump wants 'real progress' on NATO spending: Pence
US Vice President Mike Pence has told European chiefs that President Donald Trump wants "real progress" among NATO allies to increase their defense spending towards the minimum criteria of two percent of their economic output by the end of the year.
“America will do our part but European defense requires European commitment as much as ours... The president expects real progress by the end of 2017,” Pence said after talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday.
Pence's remarks came about a month after Trump called NATO “obsolete” in an interview with the German newspaper Bild, saying he had warned long ago that it had problems.
“One; that it was obsolete because it was designed many many years ago, and number two; that the countries weren't paying what they're supposed to pay,” Trump noted.
Trump has said NATO members should either pay for US military support or rely on their own military might at the time of war.
European nations have said they are “astonished” by Trump’s comments about NATO, which has been a cornerstone of Europe’s defense policy since the end of World War II.
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At the end of his European trip aimed at reassuring allies who are concerned that Trump might abandon them, Pence earlier on Monday reassured European allies that Trump was committed to continued partnership with the European Union.
"It is my privilege on behalf of President Trump to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the European Union," Pence said after holding talks with EU head Donald Tusk.
Pence claimed that US commitment to European ties remained "steadfast and enduring" after several decades of collaboration on security and economic issues.
"Too much has happened over the past month in your country and in the EU ... for us to pretend that everything is as it used to be," the former Polish premier added.
Meanwhile, a large number of people held a demonstration to protest the Trump administration's attitude toward women and climate change.
"We are here to protest against the visit of Pence because we are revolted by the decision of the US administration to undermine women's rights worldwide," a protester said.
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