NATO commits to major defence spending hike sought by Trump
Al Jazeera
The bloc agrees to boost spending to 5% of GDP, but Spain, Belgium and Slovakia say they will struggle to meet target.
NATO allies have agreed to massively boost military spending while affirming their “ironclad commitment” to collective defence.
Leaders from the 32-member bloc pledged to allocate up to 5 percent of their national GDP to defence and related sectors by 2035, describing the move as a “quantum leap” in collective security.
The new pledge was made in a summit communique agreed on Wednesday in The Hague. It stated that members would “invest 5 percent of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence- and security-related spending”.
The commitment includes a review point in 2029, conveniently set for after the next US presidential election, to evaluate progress and reassess the threat posed by Russia.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hailed the agreement as “transformational”, a sentiment echoed by several leaders, though it glossed over clear differences within the alliance.
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