Original Coverage & Source Attribution: ua.news
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to Lisbon, Portugal, said that Washington’s pressure on NATO allies to increase defense spending “is not a hostile act.” He stressed that stronger member states make the Alliance itself, allied ties and deterrence against threats stronger, PBS NewsHour reports.
Rubio was in Portugal as part of a trip to NATO countries that also included Iceland and Greece. He acknowledged that smaller states, including Portugal, may find it difficult to secure funds for major military projects. At the same time, he said that every Alliance country must be as strong as possible.
Portugal’s defense spending
According to NATO data, Portugal, with a population of fewer than 11 million people, spends slightly more than 2% of its gross domestic product on defense. The country’s government says it intends to raise this figure to about 3%, including through investments in dual-use civilian infrastructure.
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Rubio praised Lisbon’s steps toward meeting NATO’s target. At the same time, the planned level of spending remains below the 5% of GDP demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump. The American president has repeatedly criticized allies for insufficient defense spending and for shifting what he believes is a disproportionate burden onto the United States.
Statements on Russia’s war against Ukraine
Rubio also warned about the risk of the consequences of the war that the Russian Federation, an aggressor state, has been waging against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, spreading further. In his view, a likely stalemate in the war could trigger military escalation in Europe, including a campaign of sabotage in neighboring NATO states. European officials have accused Moscow of sabotage and destabilizing actions aimed at undermining support for Ukraine.
The U.S. secretary of state said that the Trump administration would continue trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement of the war, but called the process difficult. He added that Washington would not invest in processes that do not make progress possible. As the outlet reported, the statement came after new Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine that killed 30 people.
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