US President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states should spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense, while saying the United States should not.
Trump made the remarks during a press availability as he is preparing to attend a NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, next week, where the defense spending target is expected to figure prominently.
"I don't think we should, but I think they should," he said, responding to a question about the defense spending target that he proposed.
"We've been supporting NATO so long. In many cases, I believe ... almost paying 100 percent of the cost. So I don't think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should absolutely," he added.
The US spent about 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense last year.
Asked about Spain's stance against the target, Trump said that NATO will have to deal with the country.
"Spain has been a very low payer," he said. "They were either good negotiators or they weren't doing the right thing. I mean I think Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay. Spain has been notorious for low pay."
Spain has reportedly rejected the defense spending proposal, calling for a more "flexible" approach.
On Thursday, the Pentagon said that European allies are setting the "global standard" for Asian allies, which is spending 5 percent of GDP on defense.
South Korea's defense budget this year stands at around 61.2 trillion won ($44.6 billion), which is about 2.32 percent of its GDP, according to Seoul's defense ministry. (Yonhap)
