The Hague: U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated on Friday that member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP). However, he emphasized that the United States should not be part of this increase.According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump made these remarks during a press availability as he prepares to attend an upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. The summit is expected to prominently feature discussions on the defense spending target. Trump, responding to questions about the proposal he introduced, stated, "I don't think we should, but I think they should."Trump further elaborated on the United States' role in supporting NATO, suggesting that the country has been covering almost the entirety of the costs associated with the alliance. "We've been supporting NATO so long. In many cases, I believe... almost paying 100 percent of the cost. So I don't think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should absolutely," Trump added.When asked about Spain's resistance to the proposed target, Trump noted that NATO would need to address the country's stance. "Spain has been a very low payer," he commented. "They were either good negotiators or they weren't doing the right thing. I mean I think Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay. Spain has been notorious for low pay." Spain has reportedly rejected the defense spending proposal, advocating for a more "flexible" approach.The Pentagon has recently stated that European allies are setting the "global standard" for defense spending among Asian allies, with a benchmark of 5 percent of GDP. However, South Korea's defense budget for this year is around 61.2 trillion won (approximately US$44.6 billion), constituting about 2.32 percent of its GDP, according to Seoul's defense ministry.