Tillerson tells NATO allies to spend more on defense, slams Russian ‘aggression’
BRUSSELS — In his first meeting with NATO, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday delivered a firm rebuke of Russian “aggression” and promised allies that the United States will stand by their side — while also demanding they spend more on defense and do more to fight terrorism.
Tillerson participated in abbreviated discussions with foreign ministers from the 27 other NATO member nations, who were sent scrambling last week to accommodate the top U.S. diplomat after he said he could not attend the meeting originally planned for early April.
What was supposed to be a twoday meeting was compressed into a half-day of talks; Tillerson spent just under five hours at NATO headquarters in Brussels and left for Washington before NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave a closing news conference.
The foreign ministers’ meeting is crucial because it lays the groundwork for a NATO summit with heads of state in May, which will be President Donald Trump’s first overseas trip since taking office. Trump has had to work hard to dispel doubts he created about his commitment to NATO, an alliance that has served as the foundation of Western security since World War II.
“The United States is committed to ensuring NATO has the capabilities to support our collective defense. We understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us,” Tillerson said.
But, he added, “as President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense expenditures.”
The United States is amping up pressure on NATO members to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product, in line with a 2014 agreement among the alliance’s member countries to meet the target by 2024.
Only five NATO countries meet the 2 percent threshold. The U.S. spends 3.61 percent of its GDP on defense, more than any other member of the alliance.
Tillerson said that if countries have not met the 2 percent spending goal by the end of the year, they should at least have a concrete plan “that clearly articulates how, with annual milestone progress commitments, the pledge will be fulfilled.”
Pressure to meet that strict deadline is likely to upset some allies.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told reporters before Friday’s meeting that he thinks it would be “completely unrealistic” for Germany to bring its military defense spending up to 2 percent of GDP.
Germany is increasing its military spending this year to $39 billion, or 1.2 percent of its GDP.
In private talks with the ministers, Tillerson harshly criticized Russian “aggression” and “intimidation” in Ukraine and pointedly blamed Russia for a recent escalation in violence there. He said, twice, that U.S. sanctions slapped on Moscow as punishment would remain in place.
This was significant because in his previous career as CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson had lobbied against the sanctions, which he said were causing the firm to lose money on exploration deals in Russia.
Several ministers from Eastern European countries said they were reassured by Tillerson’s rebuke of Russia. There have been concerns that Trump would seek closer ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Baltic countries Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia see Russia’s intervention in Ukraine as a particular threat.
Tillerson “has no illusions about Russia,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said in an interview.