BRUSSELS
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has asked European NATO members to allocate more resources to their defense.
Hagel said Russia’s actions in the Ukrainian crisis have created the most significant and direct challenge to European security since the Cold War.
“Money is not a problem,” Hagel said at a press conference on Saturday after the NATO defense ministers meeting. “Current spending trends threaten NATO’s integrity and ability in the long term,” Hagel said.
Countries such as Latvia, Lithuania and Romania should improve their defense budgets, he said.
Continuous cuts in the NATO’s budget in European member countries are causing the U.S. to step in financially.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced a $1 billion program on Tuesday to bolster security cooperation with eastern European allies.
If it receives congressional approval, the program -- named European Reassurance Initiative -- will be used in funding the rotation of U.S. military forces in Europe, with new deployments in eastern European countries, joint trainings and programs to strengthen military cooperation.
aa.com.tr/en
