Yahoo News - Hegseth tells Europe to spend on defence as US presence may not last forever
Barbara Erling
Fri, February 14, 2025 at 6:13 AM EST
WARSAW (Reuters) -European countries need to invest now in defence because it is not possible to assume that the United States' presence on the continent will last forever, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday during a visit to Warsaw.
Pointing to Poland, which plans to spend 4.7% of GDP on defence this year, as a model ally, Hegseth doubled down on Washington's demands that European NATO allies take on more of the financial burden for their own security.
"What happens five or 10 or 15 years from now is part of a larger discussion that reflects the threat level, America's posture, our needs around the globe, but most significantly, the capability of European countries to step up," he told a news conference.
"And that's why our message is so stark to our European allies. Now is the time to invest, because you can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever."
Echoing remarks made during a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels in which warned Europe against treating Washington like a "sucker" ultimately responsible for European defence, he said Washington was facing many threats, including from China
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