Trump's NATO Pressure: "US Needs Formidable Bloc In Case Of War With China"

sputniknews.com

Commenting on Donald Trump's repeated demands that European NATO members increase their defense spending and meet related financial obligations, Turkish Retired Rear Admiral Soner Polat told Sputnik that the US wants to be backed by a formidable block in the event of a confrontation with China or any other power in the nearest future.

Recent remarks of President Trump that European NATO member states do not meet their financial obligations and his demand to increase their spending on their own defense to at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product each year have caused heated discussion in Turkey.

Sputnik Turkiye sat down with Turkish Retired Rear Admiral, Former Chief of Intelligence in the Turkish Navy and a Former Head of Foreign Intelligence Department in the Turkish General Staff Soner Polat to talk on the issue.

He said that the US' demand to increase the defense spending of the European NATO member states is a tool to pressure these countries aimed at strengthening of its own positions.

"The demand of the US is based on its belief that such countries as Norway, for example, which had improved its living standard due to security safeguarded by NATO, should pay for it," Soner Polat told Sputnik.

"Secondly,  the US wants to be backed by a formidable NATO block in case of its confrontation with China or any other power in the nearest future," he added.