NATO sets sights on boosting defense budget beyond 3% GDP
NATO Chief Mark Rutte admitted that the Alliance must make a tough decision about increasing defense spending. "I expect it to be over 3 percent of GDP, although we are still at an early stage," he stated.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, a so-called Contact Group for Ukrainian Defense gathered on Wednesday. On Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Alliance's defense ministers.
As Rutte mentioned, one of the most important topics of discussion will be defense expenditures. He noted that in 2024, NATO countries in Europe and Canada invested 485 billion dollars in defense, which is an increase of almost 20 percent compared to 2023.
President Trump consistently asked European countries to do more. "We made a commitment at the Alliance summit in Wales in 2014, and basically, not much happened after that," he emphasized. "It really began to develop when he was president in 2016, 2017, and especially in 2018 and 2019, up until today," Rutte said.
"We must continue this. The good thing is that we now have the NATO defense planning process, which will provide clarity on the necessary actions to ensure our security. Then we will see where the gaps are," he remarked.
"Now we will have a debate on how to fill the gap between where we are and where we need to be. I expect it to be over 3 percent, but I am not committing to any number now because we are still at an early stage of accurately estimating the details," he cautioned.
"Our defense is currently strong, but we must make difficult decisions regarding increased spending," assessed the NATO chief.
