Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned Friday that NATO risks fracturing if some member states fail to meet the alliance's target of spending 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense.

Axar.az reports, citing Politico, that Nauseda made the remarks in Berlin during a joint press conference with his Latvian and Estonian counterparts and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"It would be highly controversial or contradictory if some countries will try to do more and will reach this target in coming years and other countries will fluctuate, let’s say at the level of 2 percent or 2.5 percent.

It will split, naturally split, the alliance into two or three parts, and this is not very good for the collective defense spirit in the alliance and for our solidarity,” he said.