Rutte to try to meet Trump's demand on NATO defense spending - Reuters
Photo: Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte aims to convince Alliance members to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP and allocate an additional 1.5% for broader security-related expenses, according to Reuters.
This proposal could allow US President Donald Trump to "declare a win" at the NATO summit in The Hague in June, without requiring European countries and Canada to commit to the defense spending target of 5% of GDP.
Currently, NATO countries are required to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, and 22 out of 32 alliance members meet this target.
No NATO country meets Trump's 5% goal. The US spends around 3.2% of its GDP on defense. Poland spends the highest share of its GDP - over 4%.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart shared that Rutte has "repeatedly said that increased defence spending is needed in order to meet the capability targets that allies will soon agree and to ensure fairer burden sharing among allies".
Trump's demands
US President Donald Trump wants NATO allies to increase their defense spending. According to media rumors, the US has threatened to withdraw protection from those allied countries that do not increase their defense budgets.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that Trump may not attend the NATO summit if allies do not spend more on defense.
