Patricia Zengler
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In his first major foreign policy speech as House Republican leader, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson praised NATO while calling on members to meet an annual defense spending target of at least 2 percent of GDP.
“I will just say this, and I will reinforce the message to them: Republicans certainly celebrate the peace and prosperity that NATO ensures and will continue to stand with our partners to prevent unnecessary wars,” the Republican People say.
“But we also believe that NATO needs to do more,” he said, as members of the military alliance gathered in Washington for a summit this week that will include meetings with U.S. lawmakers.
Johnson has also taken a tough stance on China, calling it “our greatest threat… engaged in malign influence activities around the world”.
He said the House of Representatives will vote on a series of bills this year to counter China, including tightening sanctions and cracking down on trade policies seen as damaging to U.S. interests.
NATO members’ defense spending has become a hotly contested issue in recent years, with former President Donald Trump accusing Europeans of investing too little in their own security and relying on Washington for protection.
Earlier this year, Trump, the Republican candidate for the November 5 U.S. presidential election, raised eyebrows when he said he would not protect NATO members that failed to spend enough on defense and would even encourage Russia to attack them. of anger.
Johnson is a close ally of Trump who, as speaker, sets the legislative agenda for the House of Representatives.
Months after Democratic President Joe Biden asked the House to approve funding for Ukraine, Johnson reversed course this year, allowing the House to vote and pass billions of dollars in additional aid to the country.
Johnson said people have come up to him at events across the country and thanked him for passing the funding. “People understand that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) will not stop if he takes Kiev. In my opinion, he is a ruthless dictator,” Johnson said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last month that more than 20 NATO members would meet the alliance’s goal of spending at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense this year, up from five years ago. to 10.
