DEMS DEBATE | Agreement that Europe should pay more toward NATO

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (AP)

Finally, a point of agreement between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders: NATO countries in Europe should pay more for the alliance’s collective defense.

Sanders is calling out France, Germany and the U.K. as countries with high standards of living that can afford to pay more for the burden of defense.

He says at Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate that he wouldn’t be embarrassed as president to tell European allies they must pay their fair share.

Neither candidate is calling for pulling out of NATO. Republican Donald Trump has described the military alliance as irrelevant.

Clinton says NATO has probably been the most successful military alliance in history. She says she believes the requirement that NATO allies pay more of the cost should be enforced.

President Barack Obama has urged European countries to contribute 2 percent of their GDP to defense.