NATO chief urges Europeans to spend more on defense amid Ukraine crisis

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen delivers a statement to media after meeting with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava, Slovakia, Thursday, May 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)The Associated Press

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, left, shake hands with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico as they meet in Bratislava, Slovakia, Thursday, May 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)The Associated Press

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia NATO's secretary general is pushing European countries to invest more in defense to better cope with crises such as the Ukraine conflict, but some governments remain resistant.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen told participants in a security conference in Slovakia on Thursday that NATO members that don't spend enough on defense risk being "free-loaders."

He told reporters later that "every ally is expected to play its part toward contributing to our shared security." He says the Ukraine crisis shows "we have to invest more in defense."

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would try to increase military spending toward the 2 percent of gross domestic product that NATO wants, but said it's a "very sensitive issue" as his country tries to keep the deficit down.

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NATO chief urges Europeans to spend more on defense amid Ukraine crisis