NATO chief hopes for summit pledge to raise defence spending

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO's chief said on Tuesday he hoped European allies would commit to raising defence spending at an alliance summit in September in response to U.S. demands that Europe do more to protect itself in the face of a resurgent Russia.

The United States, which dominates the Western military bloc, has used the Ukraine crisis to raise pressure on its European allies to reverse a slide in defence spending since the 2008 financial crisis.