US Praises Bruised Europeans for Increased NATO Spending

A top Pentagon official praised NATO’s spending progress, providing relief to allies bruised by the recent spat over Greenland and lingering questions about the US commitment to European security.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby called on Europe on Thursday to take more responsibility for its security as he addressed a meeting of defense ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels — echoing a common refrain from President Donald Trump’s administration.

But he added words of encouragement after weeks of tensions that tested the limits of the transatlantic alliance.

Elbridge Colby, under secretary of defense for policy nominee for US President Donald Trump

Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg

“Beyond recognition,” Colby said, NATO was ...