Donald Trump will meet fellow NATO leaders in May, the White House said Sunday after the president’s call with the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Trump expressed “strong support for NATO” but called on European members to pitch in more, the White House said in a statement, adding that Trump “agreed to join in a meeting of NATO leaders in Europe in late May.”

“The parties agreed to continue close coordination and cooperation to address the full range of security challenges facing NATO,” the White House statement said.

The United States provides significant funding to NATO, and Trump has previously urged other member nations to step up their contributions.

“The leaders discussed how to encourage all NATO allies to meet their defense spending commitments,” Sunday’s statement added.

European leaders are concerned about Trump’s virulent criticism of NATO as he has dubbed the transatlantic military alliance “obsolete”.

According to the White House statement the parties also discussed “the potential for a peaceful resolution of the conflict along the Ukrainian border.”

Source: AFP