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In a speech addressed to European colleagues, Jim Mattis urged the old continent’s leaders to imitate Washington and increase their defense budget, reported Reuters. The Pentagon recently proposed to increase its own budget by more than 30 percent, primarily to finance deterrence measures against Russia.
According to Jim Mattis: “The United States Department of Defense has requested the allocation of a special fund that amount to $2 billion for the 2019 fiscal year, all in order to reassure our European partners.”
This Initiative from the Pentagon aims to help Eastern European nations to deter Russia from further adopting an aggressive behavior towards its neighbors – such as in Ukraine with the annexation of Crimea and the constant support of separatists in the Donbass region.
Following a meeting of all NATO Defense Ministers, the European members agreed to increase their spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2024. This might also be a direct consequence of President Donald Trump’s threats to cut US financial contribution to NATO if the European capitals did not assume more responsibilities.
