U.S. expects more NATO Allies to up defense spending to 2% - White House

White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre stressed this to reporters on Wednesday, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

"Obviously, we're very hopeful that we'll see more (such countries – ed.) before the Summit," the White House spokesperson noted.

She underlined the fact that security threats remain in place against the background of Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, this week Polish President Andrzej Duda said NATO members should increase defense spending from the mandatory 2% to 3% of GDP. At the same time, the U.S. State Department noted that first it is necessary to ensure that all members of the Alliance achieve the 2 percent defense spending level before next steps could be discussed.