President Donald Trump is right, NATO allies in Europe are not keeping up on their "promised" target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense, former NATO Commander Adm. James Stavridis said Sunday.
"He is correct to put pressure on the allies to meet the 2 percent of GDP," Stavridis told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y., per The Hill.
"That is a smart goal, and it is one we should push the Europeans to achieve."
Stavridis, once considered a potential Hillary Clinton running mate against Trump in 2016, did not fully comport with President Trump's positions on NATO, though.
"I don't understand what Trump means [by threatening to rearrange U.S. troops in Europe]," Stavridis told host John Catsimatidis. "We are in a treaty alliance, which means that we are obligated under our own law and international law to be part of this alliance."
President Trump is expected to press his NATO demands on European leaders in Brussels, Belgium —along with trade talks and climate issues — at a summit Wednesday and Thursday this week.
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