The former head of the CIA, General David Petraeus, called the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, "the greatest gift" for NATO. He said this at the Raisina Dialogue symposium held in India under the auspices of the Observer Research Foundation and the Indian government.
According to Petraeus, the presence of V. V. Putin in power gave a "new impetus to the existence of the alliance."
The retired CIA head suggested that the US government would challenge the "new geopolitical order", including with the support of NATO. Despite the constant criticism of the American leader Donald Trump, the White House plans to increase the presence of American forces on the European continent.
Meanwhile, US President Trump constantly urges NATO member countries to raise their defense spending. In accordance with the decision taken at the meeting of the heads of the countries - members of the alliance, which took place in 2014, all the NATO member states should increase defense spending to 2% of GDP. Despite this, according to NATO estimates from 2017, out of the 29 participating countries, only 6 states completed the task. This means significant financial difficulties for the North Atlantic military bloc.
