European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization need to spend more on their military, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO members are ramping up their military spending. Stoltenberg published his annual report on Monday that shows they spent around $10 billion more in 2016 than they did in 2015.
France and Turkey are close to meeting the 2 percent requirement. Seven other members would have to double their military budget to get to the requirement.
Luxembourg would have to increase its military spending by a factor of four, the report said, according to Axios.
Romania expects to reach the requirement this year, and Lithuania and Latvia both expect to do so in 2018, according to the report.
Only five NATO countries meet the two-percent requirement, according to Axios:
- US: 3.61 percent.
- Greece: 2.38 percent.
- UK : 2.21 percent.
- Estonia: 2.16 percent.
- Poland: 2 percent.
"It is realistic that allies should reach this goal. All allies have agreed to it at the highest level and it can be done," Stoltenberg said in the report.
The organization is looking to improve relations with Russia, Stoltenberg said, according to Sputnik International.
"Russia is a neighbor, Russia is there to stay, and we are striving for a more constructive relationship with Russia," Stoltenberg told journalists when unveiling his report.
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