US President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed the crisis in Ukraine and international efforts in Afghanistan after the end of combat missions later this year, in a meeting Tuesday at the White House, dpa reported. On Ukraine, the men discussed "the implications of Russia's aggression for European security" and US and European commitment to the alliance's collective defence, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. They addressed the need to bolster investment in defence spending by the Atlantic alliance's members. Rasmussen said in a speech Monday at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, that urging members to increase defence spending to at least 2 per cent of gross domestic product would be one of his priorities at the next NATO summit. -- SPA 23:49 LOCAL TIME 20:49 GMT تغريد
