Article snippet: on Wednesday that NATO members immediately increase their defense spending to meet a 10-year goal years ahead of the alliance's stated deadline. "What good is NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas and energy? Why are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their commitment?" Trump tweeted shortly after he scorned allies for not spending more on their own defense and relying too heavily on the U.S. for protection. NATO members agreed in 2014 to move toward spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2024. Trump has repeatedly railed against NATO allies' slow efforts to meet that goal. As he attended the NATO summit in Brussels on Wednesday, he demanded that alliance members spend at least 4 percent of their GDP on defense — a goal that not even the United States currently meets. The U.S. spent 3.6 percent of its GDP on defense last year. A number of NATO members have increased their defense spending, and several are set to meet the 2024 goal. Trump took credit on Wednesday for the increase in defense spending by several alliance members. He acknowledged that his predecessors had broached the issue of defense funding with NATO allies in the past, but said that they “never did anything about it because I don’t think they understood it or they just didn’t want to get involved.” He also said that the hikes are "not nearly enough." "Many countries are not paying what they should. And, frankly, many coun... Link to the full article to read more