NATO to propose 5% of GDP for defense at June summit
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will propose a defense investment plan totaling 5% of GDP at the Alliance summit in The Hague, scheduled for the end of June, Sky News reports.
Rutte addressed the issue of defense spending amid US calls for allies to increase investments to 5% of GDP.
"To deliver on these needs, allies will need to invest much more on defense. That is now the work ahead of us for The Hague," the secretary general said.
According to Rutte, he will propose a comprehensive investment plan amounting to 5% of GDP for defense. His proposal would allocate 3.5% to core defense spending and 1.5% to broader defense and security investments.
"We all want to see this war (Russia's war against Ukraine) brought to an end with a just and lasting peace, and fully support president Trump's urgent efforts to stop the bloodshed," the NATO Secretary General added.
Trump demands NATO increase defense spending
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO member states for not spending enough on defense. He has argued that the United States bears a disproportionately large share of the Alliance's financial burden and has demanded that European allies raise their own defense budgets.
The American leader has especially emphasized that each country must take responsibility for its own security by fulfilling its defense spending commitments.
According to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, NATO allies can no longer rely on Washington for their security and must step up their efforts.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker recently stated that the United States expects the Alliance to introduce steps toward meeting the 5% defense spending target.
Today, Hegseth announced that NATO member states will meet Trump's demand for significantly increased defense spending — a move expected to be finalized by the NATO summit in The Hague this June.
