In talks with other leaders of the alliance in Brussels, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on member states to raise their defense spending to at least 5% of national GDP. Speaking in Brussels, he dismissed "hysteria and hyperbole in the global media about NATO."
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00:00U.S. Secretary of State in the midst of growing transatlantic tensions.
00:05What awaited Marco Rubio here in Brussels were U.S. allies nervous about Washington's
00:11role in NATO and rattled about its latest trade move.
00:16Of course, this question has somewhat overlapped with the start here, because economic security
00:25is part of our overall security.
00:29On camera, Rubio did not comment on his boss's tariff announcement.
00:34And his message on NATO was reassuring.
00:37The United States is in NATO.
00:38We are active.
00:39As we speak right now, the United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been.
00:43And some of this hysteria and hyperbole that I see in the global media and some domestic
00:47media in the United States about NATO is unwarranted.
00:50The United States President Trump has made clear he supports NATO.
00:54We're going to remain in NATO.
00:55But he also made clear the U.S. commitment to the alliance comes with conditions.
01:01So we do want to leave here with an understanding that we are on a pathway, a realistic pathway,
01:05to every single one of the members committing and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5
01:10percent of spending.
01:11That includes the United States will have to increase its percentage.
01:13A goal that at least right now seems overambitious, as some NATO countries are struggling to even
01:19reach the initial promise of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense.
01:25But NATO Chief Mark Rutte sees the alliance on the right path.
01:29Over the last couple of months, we literally see hundreds of billions of euros slash dollars
01:34rolling in.
01:35Look at what the Germans have announced, Europeans have announced, many other countries have
01:40announced.
01:41So this is probably the biggest increase in defense spending here on the European side
01:46of NATO since the end of the Cold War.
01:49NATO officials are indicating they do not expect the tariffs to overshadow the meeting
01:55in Brussels.
01:56But a real trade war would certainly impact economic growth in Europe.
02:01And tariffs may well stand in the way of Washington's push for increased defense spending.
02:08A point not lost on many Europeans.
02:11It's important to understand that we grow faster and better together.
02:17And if we want to build resources for a stronger defense, we need to have economic growth.
02:22And protectionism will not do us any good.
02:26Over the last few weeks, NATO has been shaken to the core.
02:30It seems rather unlikely that this gathering in Brussels will bring the Allies closer together
02:36again.