President Donald Trump appeared to take a dig at NATO and his allies in the battle against rogue states like North Korea.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Devos, Switzerland, the American President promised to invest in the American military to ensure the protection of US citizens from Kim Jong-un‘s nuclear ambitions.
He said: “My Administration is proud to have led the historic effort at the United Nations Security Council and all around the world to unite all civilised nations in our campaign of maximum pressure to de-nuke the Korean peninsula.
“We’re also making historic investments in the military because we cannot have prosperity without security.
“To make the world safer from rogue regimes, terrorism, and revisionist powers, we are asking our friends and allies to invest in their own defences and to meet their financial obligations.
“Our common security requires everyone to pay their fair share.”
Last year, North Korea conducted dozens of missile launches and its sixth and largest nuclear test, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, as it raced towards its goal of developing a nuclear-armed missile capable of reaching the United States.
Senior British officers serving at the Pentagon were briefed that one of the Trump administration’s top priorities will be to “sweep away” plans championed by Germany and France.
”We have been told quite clearly that, in an environment in which the political temperature in Eastern Europe is high and fiscal pressure on budgets is increasing, there can only be one joint force and that is Nato,” he said.
“Senior US officers directing future strategy want to see more delivery from European nations. There is grave concern about the intent and growing talk of an EU Army, which appears to draw resources away from the Alliance.”
Despite comments by President Trump calling Nato “obsolete”, new US defence secretary Gen James Mattis affirmed America’s commitment to the Alliance – and reinforced concerns against Russia.
“We have a long list of times we’ve tried to engage positively with Russia. We have a relatively short list of successes in that regard,” he told Congress.