NATO debates boost as Trump eyes allies' defense funds
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed that alliance member states increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP and allocate an additional 1.5% of GDP to other defense-related expenses, as reported by Reuters on Friday.
This proposal is intended to address U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for allies to allocate 5% of GDP to defense. Rutte's proposal would allow Trump to claim success at the NATO summit in June, without forcing European countries and Canada to commit to the stringent 5% defense spending level, Reuters adds. The agency notes that many of these countries find the 5% level politically and economically unfeasible.
When Reuters officially inquired whether Rutte made such a proposal, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart responded that the NATO Secretary General has repeatedly emphasized the need to increase defense spending.
On April 23, the head of NATO released the annual report for 2024, which detailed the defence spending of member countries. Twenty-two countries exceeded the 2% GDP threshold set by NATO back in 2014. The spending of allies from Europe and Canada increased by over 19% in 2024. A number of countries that have not yet reached the 2% GDP target have recently committed to intensifying efforts in that direction.
The U.S. ambassador to NATO sets conditions
The German weekly "Der Spiegel" reported on Friday that U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker is warning that President Donald Trump might not attend the North Atlantic Alliance summit in June in The Hague if member states do not "make a move" regarding financial commitments.
Confidential reports from headquarters in Brussels indicate that Whitaker consistently pushes for an increase in defense spending from two to five percent of GDP. For Germany, this would mean increasing expenditures to 228 billion dollars, noted the editorial.
As "Der Spiegel" writes, the German side recently believed that the American demands were merely a negotiation strategy and were not taken seriously. "Currently, Germany takes Whitaker at his word. Even when he threatens that Trump will not participate in the June summit if other NATO countries do not take action on financial matters," reads the portal of the German weekly.
The defense ministry's budget amounts to 57 billion dollars this year. This sum is supplemented by funds from a special fund created in 2022 for the Bundeswehr, totaling 108 billion dollars.
