U.S. envoy to NATO describes alliance tensions as growing pains

The U.S. ambassador to NATO told CNBC on Monday that tensions within the alliance over defense spending represent "growing pains" rather than a crisis. "I see these as just the challenges that we've worked through before," the ambassador said, pointing to uneven spending levels among European countries.

The ambassador stated that the goal is for Europe to assume primary responsibility for conventional defense of the continent, while the United States reduces its role but does not withdraw.

Spending targets At last year's NATO summit in The Hague, allies agreed to reach 5 percent of GDP on defense by 2035, with 3.5 percent allocated to core defense needs. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the next step is to convert those commitments into concrete results ahead of this week's meetings in Ankara, Turkey.

The ambassador noted that some countries described as "laggards" will need to increase spending over the coming decade to meet the new benchmarks.