European Countries Should Not Be Distracted By Notion Of EU Army - UK Defense Secretary

Faizan Hashmi Published February 11, 2019 | 04:41 PM

European nations should not get distracted by the idea of an EU army and need to reach NATO's target each country spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense, Secretary of State for Defense Gavin Williamson said Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2019) European nations should not get distracted by the idea of an EU army and need to reach NATO's target each country spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense, Secretary of State for Defense Gavin Williamson said Monday.

"More European nations need to be ready and capable of responding to [the threats], stepping up to the 2-percent NATO target, and not being distracted by the notion of an EU army," Williamson said in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute.

Williamson said that the alliance had made a big progress in the last five years, becoming more focused and prepared to deter "Russian hostile acts.

The 2-percent defense spending is yet to be reached by many of the EU members of the alliance. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO members to pay their fair share.

Meanwhile, the idea of an EU army has been floated around by a number of top EU politicians, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The latter suggested that this joint force could be a complement to NATO.