Peace Garden News

BISMARCK—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined 35 of his colleagues in writing a letter to President Biden ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Vilnius to ensure NATO countries meet their defense spending commitments.

Since 2006, NATO member nations have agreed to commit a minimum of 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense spending. Despite increasing levels of aggressive behavior by authoritarian nations, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many member states continue to fail to meet their treaty obligations.

“As you prepare for the NATO summit this year in Vilnius, we write to underscore the critical need for NATO members to increase and fully meet defense spending commitments to the alliance. Failure of many of our allies – including some of NATO’s largest members – to meet commitments of 2% of GDP on defense has the potential to undermine American support for the alliance, severely limits Europe’s ability to contribute to our shared interest in defending against Russia, and is a source of long-term instability in Europe, not to mention frustration for American taxpayers,” wrote the senators.

“Although we appreciate the assistance that many of our European allies have provided Ukraine, the heavy European emphasis on economic and refugee assistance is directly attributable to the inability of many to meet their NATO commitments in a way the alliance demands. This has immediate implications in Ukraine where our allies could be a force multiplier in helping bring this conflict to a successful end,” continued the senators.

“The lack of sufficient progress is politically and economically unsustainable. American citizens rightly question why our government disproportionately bears the burden – decade after decade – for Europe’s defense. In Vilnius, we respectfully request that you make this issue a top priority,” concluded the senators.

Joining Senator Cramer are Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Todd Young (R-IN) Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Braun (R-IN), James Lankford (R-OK), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Thune (R-SD), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Kennedy (R-LA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Tim Scott (R-SC), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA).

Original source can be found here.