US pressures European allies to take over NATO duties by 2027: Report
The United States has reportedly set a 2027 deadline for NATO’s European members to assume greater responsibility for the bloc’s defense capabilities, including intelligence gathering and missile production.
Reuters reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, Pentagon officials warned delegations from several European countries this week that if they fail to meet the 2027 deadline, the US could scale back participation in certain NATO defense activities
US military officials in the Pentagon, according to the report, had informed several of their European counterparts to pass on to their leaders that they had until 2027 to bring their militaries up to par with NATO standards.
Pentagon officials reportedly noted in the meeting that Washington remains dissatisfied with European defense gains, which they say have so far fallen short of expectations and will require more investment and effort to meet NATO’s requirements and share the military burden with the US.
Some European military leaders have already agreed that their respective governments are obliged to pay for the increased NATO bill.
“Allies have recognized the need to invest more in defense and shift the burden on conventional defense from the US to Europe,” a NATO official speaking for the military bloc told Reuters, declining to comment on the 2027 deadline.
Other European officials have described the 2027 target as unrealistic, saying that replacing US military support in the short term would require far more investment than currently planned, sources told Reuters.
Reuters’ report came amid the US plan to reduce its considerable direct involvement in European military affairs.
US allies agreed earlier this year to boost their military spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035.
The boost in military spending followed mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has long insisted that the Europeans must “pay their fair share” in NATO.
Some European leaders have cited a Russian threat as the pretext for the increased military spending.
Russia dismisses the myth of a Russian threat as “nonsense.”
Russia said that European politicians should resist against US war-mongers, and condemned the West’s “reckless militarization.”
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