Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda warned that NATO could collapse if member states do not meet the alliance's defense spending target.
Politico quoted Nauseda as saying: "It would be controversial, or rather unclear, if some countries tried to do more and reach this goal in the coming years, while others hesitated at the level of 2% or 2.5% of GDP. This would naturally divide the alliance into two or three parts."
The Lithuanian president added that this would negatively affect the spirit of collective defense within the organization and could pose a real problem.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Europe for its low contribution to supporting the military alliance's defense capabilities, and has called on member states to increase spending in this area to 5% of their gross domestic product.
In contrast, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated last Wednesday that NATO countries have already reached the limits of their ability to rapidly increase defense spending, given that any further growth is constrained by available production capacities and human resources.
