U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called on NATO allies to fulfill President Trump's demand for an increase in defense spending to 5% of GDP. This push comes ahead of a forthcoming NATO summit, with Hegseth expressing confidence that commitments will be made this month. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte proposed an interim target of 3.5% with an additional 1.5% for security-related expenditures. Some European countries may struggle to meet this 5% goal, but they plan to coordinate military strategies and enhance readiness in light of changing geopolitical circumstances, particularly following the Ukraine invasion.
To be an alliance, you got to be more than flags. You got to be formations. You got to be more than conferences. You need to be combat-ready capabilities, Hegseth said as he arrived for a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
We're here to continue the work that President Trump started, which is a commitment to 5 percent defence spending across this alliance, which we think will happen, Hegseth said.
We have to go further and we have to go faster, Rutte told reporters on Wednesday.
For some European countries, including Spain, Germany and Belgium, meeting a 5 percent target will be extremely difficult... They have decided to further coordinate their military strategy.
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