In response to US President Donald Trump‘s demands for Nato places to spend more money on themselves rather than asking the US, the European Union is increasing its defense budget. Pete Hegseth, the US defense minister, described Trump’s emphasis on Nato countries increasing their military spending as an act of” tough love.” At the Shangri-La Defence Forum in Singapore, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s political captain, also called for strengthening relations with the Asia-Pacific area. Trump has been very persistent about boosting defense spending in the Nato nations, suggesting that 5 % of GDP is spent on this. He asserted that Washington will no longer suppress “freeloaders.” Hegseth had previously stated in a statement to members that” we’re pushing our allies in Europe to possess more of their own safety to invest in their defense. According to Kallas, Europe consists of several nations that have realized a long time ago that defense investment is needed. As reported by AP, she said,” It is a good thing we are doing more, but what I want to emphasize is that the security of Europe and the Pacific are very closely linked.” She emphasized that the EU is quickly advancing toward “global protection.” Kallas cited instances of Northern Korean troops serving in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China providing military support to Russia. In response to the talk by the US secretary of defense, she said,” I think again, if you are worried about China, you should be worried about Russia.”
