The NATO budget is separate from the 2 percent of gross domestic product that each NATO member has agreed as their goal for defense spending by 2024. Even so, only eight of the 29 member countries meet the 2 percent goal. Mr. Stoltenberg in particular has tried to keep close ties to the Trump administration, given the importance of the American commitment to NATO. At a news conference with Mr. Stoltenberg after their meeting in Paris, Mr. Macron defended his own criticism about NATO. He was particularly irked that Mr. Trump had told President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey that he would pull American troops out of Syria without having spoken to other NATO members.

Source: New York Times November 28, 2019 17:01 UTC