The Romanian government spends much less than NATO’s 2% target on defense, a point U.S. President Donald Trump has brought up on numerous occasions as he pushes the alliance to do its fair share of shouldering the security burden.
President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday in a letter to Premier Sorin Grindeanu that the government should respect a cross-party commitment to spend 2 percent of the gross domestic product on defense, reports Herald Online. The new Romanian budget proposal calls for a 1.5% spending level.
Under the Romanian system, the president is in charge of national security. Iohannis called the proposed spending level a ‘grave error,’ and that national security should be a priority. Iohannis has been critical of the left-leaning premier and his policies.
