NATO Summit approves plans to boost defense spending by hundreds of billions
Photo: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (nato.int)
NATO leaders at the Hague summit commit to raising defense spending to 5% of GDP over 10 years. This was a demand made by US President Donald Trump, according to the final declaration of the NATO summit in The Hague.
The new defense spending target, to be reached within the next decade, represents a leap of hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Previously, NATO member states were required to spend 2% of their GDP on defense.
Under the new framework, 3.5% of GDP will be allocated to main defense needs, such as troops and weaponry, while an additional 1.5% will go toward broader defense-related initiatives, including cybersecurity, pipeline protection, and infrastructure upgrades for heavy military vehicles.
The summit's final statement was supported by all Allies. However, Spain stated it does not see the need to meet such a high level of defense spending and believes it can fulfill its commitments by spending much less.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles had previously stated that allocating 2% of GDP to defense is sufficient.
US expectations
Earlier, US President Donald Trump repeatedly stated that he expects European NATO member states to increase defense spending. The target of 5% of GDP was proposed by Washington.
Against the backdrop of European countries agreeing to such a target, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth has already admitted that they have "stepped up."
