Under pressure from Trump NATO increases defense spending by $100 billion

Telegraph:

Nato states will increase their defence spending by 100 billion dollars in response to Donald Trump's demands that European allies shoulder a greater financial burden, the alliance's secretary general has said.

Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that the alliance had heard Mr Trump's call for non-US members to shoulder a greater financial burden "loud and clear" and that allies are "stepping up."

In conciliatory comments apparently designed to smooth over repeated public criticism of other alliance members by the US leader, Mr Stoltenberg said member states had agreed to add $100 billion to defence budgets over the next two years.

Mr Trump has repeatedly complained that other members of Nato do not meet their spending commitments, including a blistering tirade at the NATO summit in Brussels in July in which called other member governments "delinquent."
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He sent shockwaves through NATO last year when he questioned the alliance's value to the US. Last week the New York Times reported that he had multiple discussions with his top security advisers in 2018 about withdrawing.

Speaking on Fox News, a channel favoured by the president, Mr Stoltenberg praised Mr Trump's tough line.

"President Trump has been very clear. He is committed to NATO… but at the same time he has clearly stated that NATO allies need to invest more," said the former Norwegian prime minister.
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When Trump was questioning the value of NATO, Democrats jumped to the conclusion it was because he was a Russian agent.  They never seem to grasp his negotiation strategy to force people to live up to their commitments.  You can be sure that Russia is not pleased that NATO is spending more on its own defense.  Democrat paranoia about Trump and Russia continues to make the left look like a flock of Henny Penny's.