Mark Rutte, the newly appointed NATO Secretary General, expressed optimism that NATO member states will reach an agreement to increase defense spending to five percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“I believe that in The Hague, we will agree on a total quota of five percent,” Rutte stated during NATO’s Spring Parliamentary Assembly held in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Earlier this month, Rutte proposed allocating 3.5% of GDP for defense and an additional 1.5% for infrastructure. The official decision is expected to be made during the NATO Summit in The Hague on June 24–25, where new budgetary targets for member states will be finalized.
Broader NATO Consensus
Germany recently expressed its support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for increased defense budgets among NATO allies. According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Germany plans to gradually raise its defense spending from 2.1% (2024) to 3.5% by 2032, increasing by 0.2% annually over the next five years.
The proposed spending shift reflects growing geopolitical tensions and NATO’s commitment to bolstering collective security amid ongoing threats, notably Russia’s continued aggression in Ukraine.
