Trump puts NATO allies on edge: European defense ministers say more investment in military equipment is needed

Donald Trump has yet to take office and NATO's largest countries are already stepping up and signaling that they are willing to invest more money in military equipment and increase the GDP budget earmarked for Defense.

According to a report by Politico, the defense ministers of Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom met this Monday in Berlin where, without directly mentioning Trump, they discussed how much money European countries should spend on Defense. They also explained that the goal is not simply to spend more, but to do better.

"Regardless of the [defense] budget rise to 2, 2.5 or 3 percent, we need to close the capabilities gaps, this is the most important thing," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a press conference after receiving his counterparts from France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom in Berlin.

He then specifically referred to NATO's capability requirements, stating that meeting this will require an increase in GDP spending: "We’ll probably talk about more than 2 percent, everyone knows that," he said.

The meeting between the ministers comes after Trump's meeting days ago with NATO chief, Mark Rutte, at his mansion in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

That meeting was crucial for NATO and its member states, as Trump has long been a skeptic of the alliance who has questioned why many of the countries do not pay a fair share to participate in the organization and ensure mutual defense among allies. The defense ministers' remarks Monday were in tune with the request of the U.S. president-elect, who on the campaign trail promised that, on his watch, the U.S. will not protect European countries that do not spend enough on Defense.

According to the Politico report, France and Germany reached the NATO spending target of at least 2% of GDP this year, but Italy, one of the most important European countries, still falls short of it.

The United Kingdom exceeded the 2% threshold and Poland, with 4.1% of GDP spent on defense, is the NATO country that spends the most. Trump thinks countries, at least, should reach 3% spending.

Polish Defense Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, also left a message for other European countries: "Europe will have to act ever more coordinated with overarching goals to be a good partner for the U.S."

According to Politico, a senior NATO official stated that there is a consensus on the need to raise the 2% target and that the new bar is likely to be 3%, something that could improve Trump's perception of the world's most important military alliance.