Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is the essence of NATO, and any suggestion that it will not be implemented undermines the security of all allies and of service members at the front. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before the start of today's meeting of defense ministers from the alliance in Brussels.

We must not approach Europe from North America with division, he urged. Non-European allies spend 80 percent of the alliance's defense funds, the secretary general noted.

According to him, an increase in defense spending is necessary and the countries of the pact are on the right track.

Last year we saw an 11 percent increase in military spending by allies from Europe and Canada, this year we expect 18 NATO countries to meet the military spending target of 2 percent of their GDP. In total, European allies spend 280 billion dollars on defense, which is two percent of their total GDP, which is the minimum requirement, Stoltenberg pointed out.

In response to concerns about the need to separate European nuclear forces, he insisted that changes to the existing rules should not be made, as this would lead to confusion. NATO's nuclear forces must always be effective, we have management procedures, he said.

Jens Stoltenberg: The EU cannot defend Europe alone

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