Wednesday at a press conference, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) described the NATO alliance as “indispensable.”
When asked about President Donald Trump calling NATO allies “delinquent” in paying for defense, Ryan said, “I subscribe to the view that we should not be criticizing our president while he’s overseas. But let me say a couple of things NATO is indispensable. It is as important today as it ever has been. We are reflecting that in a resolution we are bringing to the floor today.”
He added, “With respect to Nord Stream 2, I saw the president mentioned that. We’ve been bringing that up with our allies as well. Every time, I’ve met with our allies in Europe I’ve raised these same concerns about Nord Steam 2. The president is right to point out that our NATO allies need to adhere to their commitments, which is paying 2 percent of GDP for defense. Germany is the largest economy in the EU. Germany should be committing 2 percent to defense like they agreed to in the Wales conference.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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