President Barack Obama gestures while speaking during a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at Maximos Mansion in Athens on November 15. | AP Photo Obama urges NATO members to pull their weight

President Barack Obama echoed President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, signaling to America’s NATO allies that if Greece can pay its fair share even during an economic crisis, so can the other members of the alliance.

In his opening remarks during a bilateral news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens, the president said he and the prime minster discussed “the pressing security challenges that we face as NATO allies,” among other topics.


“I want to take this opportunity to commend Greece for being one of the five NATO allies that spends 2 percent of GDP on defense, a goal that we have consistently set but not everybody has met,” Obama said. “Greece has done this even during difficult economic times. If Greece can meet this NATO commitment, all our NATO allies should be able to do so.”

Trump has suggested on the campaign trail that the U.S. wouldn’t support its allies unless they fulfilled their promises on defense spending.

But at a news conference at the White House on Monday, Obama reassured the world that Trump will be committed to NATO as president, despite his past rhetoric that might suggest otherwise.

“He expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships,” Obama said, recalling his conversation with Trump in the Oval Office last week. “And so, one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to NATO and the transatlantic alliance.”

One of the most important functions he can serve on his trip abroad, which includes additional stops to Germany and Peru, “is to let them know that there is no weakening of resolve when it comes to America’s commitment to maintaining a strong and robust NATO relationship and a recognition that those alliances are just good for Europe,” the president said Monday. “They’re good for the United States, and they’re vital for the world.”

Obama: I'm not responsible for Trump President Obama talks about president-elect Donald Trump.