All NATO members have agreed to raise defence and security spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035. In the declaration at the NATO summit in the Hague, the leaders said the defence pledge will consist of investments of at least 3.5 percent of GDP per year in core defence requirements. They also vowed to spend up to 1.5 percent of GDP on security-related expenditures, including protection of critical infrastructure and strengthening the alliance’s defence industrial base. Speaking at the summit, NATO chief Rutte stated that military aid for Ukraine this year will very likely exceed last year’s 58 billion dollars.
Rutte said Europe and Canada would need to contribute more to the military alliance. He also said the US strike on Iran dealt a massive blow to the country. Rutte additionally cited Russia as a threat both in the short and long term. He said NATO needs to rapidly expand defence industrial capacity on both sides of the Atlantic.
Speaking at the summit, US President Donald said, additional money should be spent on military hardware. Trump also said that it is possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin has territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine. The US president said he told Putin in a recent phone call to cooperate in ending the war in Ukraine. He also clarified that he did not discuss a ceasefire with Zelenskyy during their meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
