The U.S. Asks Not to Cut Defense Spending Due to COVID-19

The U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Kay Bailey Hutchison Wednesday asked the members of the alliance not to cut spending on defense despite the economic impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing.

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"We will do everything to ensure that we have that military spending that has proven to be very important in this humanitarian and health crisis," Bailey Hutchison the diplomat said before the meeting of NATO foreign ministers to be held on Thursday.

"We know difficult decisions will have to be made, but we believe that the choice of security is the most important one," she added.

The U.S. ambassador argued that neither terrorism nor ballistic missile tests will stop due to the COVID-19, which is a fundamental reason for NATO members to invest in security.

In March, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also urged allies to keep up the progression of defense spending despite the pandemic's significant economic impacts.

Regarding the presence of the Russian military in Italy to combat the pandemic, the U.S. ambassador assured that "any help that can be given" should be provided.​​​​​​​

"If we can and do have the opportunity to help each other, we must and we can," Bailey Hutchison said, as reported by Sputnik from Italy.