© ReutersUS Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and General Jens Stoltenberg
The NATO members pledged in 2014 to move toward a guideline of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense within a decade, but only five nations currently meet the target. "Our goal should be to agree at the May leaders' meeting that by the end of the year all allies will have either met the pledge guidelines or will have developed plans that clearly articulate how...the pledge will be fulfilled," Tillerson said.
The Brussels meeting is the first NATO meeting to be attended by Tillerson. The meeting was initially scheduled for next week and Tillerson had planned to skip it, citing other commitments, but it was subsequently rescheduled. The gathering is preparation for a May 25 NATO summit that U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will attend.
Since his presidential election campaign, Trump has pushed to get U.S. allies to increase their defense spending to help ease the burden on the United States. His criticism of NATO -- which he called "obsolete" during the campaign -- and his stated desire for closer relations with Russia have raised questions among allies about his commitment to the alliance.
But Tillerson told them that the United States will ensure the alliance has the capability to defend itself. "We understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us, and we will respond accordingly," he said. "We will uphold the agreements we have made to defend our allies."
Ukraine Conflict
Some leaders have also been concerned about Trump's commitment to end Russian interference in Ukraine. But Tillerson told journalists ahead of the Brussels meeting that he would raise the matter of "NATO's posture in Europe, most particularly in Eastern Europe in response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere."
A senior State Department official said Tillerson would discuss ways of getting Russia to comply with the Minsk agreement, which set out steps to end the war between Kyiv and the separatists and restore Ukraine's control over its border with Russia.
Comment: Russian officials maintain that the agreement contains no provisions on Russia's responsibility for the "separatists" and their political actions, and that the ceasefire pertains to Ukraine's armed forces and volunteer militia (formally, of course, Russia and Ukraine are not at war and diplomatic ties are not severed).
Speaking to journalists before the Brussels talks, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described ties between European members and the United States as "rock solid" and said the alliance has "a united position on Russia: strong defense and deterrence combined with dialogue."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin is to join his NATO counterparts in the afternoon for a session of the Russia-NATO Council, which Stoltenberg described as "a strong sign of our continued commitment" to the country.
Western nations have imposed sanctions against Moscow for its illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and for Russia's support of separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. After a session of the Russia-NATO Council on March 30, Stoltenberg told journalists that the two sides "continue to have clear disagreement" on the crisis in Ukraine. He said the alliance urged Moscow to use its influence with militants in eastern Ukraine to compel them to meet their obligations under the so-called Minsk process.
He added that NATO was firm in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The allies do not and will not recognize Russia's illegal annexation of [the Ukrainian region of] Crimea," Stoltenberg said.
Russia's ambassador to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, in turn, criticized NATO for "continuing to provide political and practical support to Kyiv," a policy that he said is "at odds with genuine interests of conflict settlement."
we should instead give the boost to the ministry of goodwill.
Ehh,hang about,no such organisation exists,or ever did..
Hmmmm,food for thought that