NATO members are reportedly working to reach an agreement to commit 5% of their GDP to defense spending before next month’s summit.
Bloomberg reports that NATO countries are struggling with internal disagreements on how to implement increased spending goals requested by the US ahead of the upcoming summit in The Hague.
President Trump has urged European NATO members to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense, suggesting that the US might reassess its commitment to the alliance if they fail to do so. NATO’s most recent report indicates that ten of its 32 members don’t meet the existing 2% of GDP defense spending target.
The US maintains that European NATO allies need to take greater responsibility for their defense. Secretary of State Rubio recently characterized the current arrangement as the US being alongside “a bunch of junior partners that aren’t doing their fair share.”
Secretary General Rutte is reportedly advocating for a compromise of 3.5% of GDP for defense within seven years, plus an additional 1.5% for broader defense-related expenditures, according to senior diplomats cited by Bloomberg.
Foreign ministers are convening in Türkiye on Wednesday and Thursday to determine what qualifies as part of the 1.5% category, including aspects like military mobility, dual-use technologies, and cybersecurity.
Defense ministers convened in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the 3.5% target and examine “highly classified lists of weapons and other capabilities” involved in NATO’s “ambitious” push for increased military strength, according to Bloomberg.
These discussions occur as Russian and Ukrainian delegations are scheduled to meet in Istanbul on Thursday to explore potential steps toward resolving the conflict.
Previous reports suggested Trump might not attend the summit if the 5% spending requirement isn’t fulfilled. However, US Ambassador to NATO Whitaker affirmed on Tuesday that Trump will be present.
The bloc’s increased focus on militarization follows claims, consistently denied by Moscow, that Russia may attack a NATO nation in the coming years. Russia has accused NATO of “irresponsibly stoking fears” regarding a fabricated threat.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova stated that NATO “has degraded into an openly militarized entity.”