NATO Commits 5 % of GDP to Defence as President Trump Backs Bigger Military Budgets Amid Russian Threat

NATO’s 32 members have agreed to raise their defence-spending target to 5 % of gross domestic product and have reiterated their “ironclad” commitment to mutual defence. The decision, adopted on Wednesday at a two-day summit in The Hague, comes amid rising concern over Russia’s belligerence and lingering questions about the United States’ long-term engagement in Europe.

In a joint declaration, the alliance said it was “united in the face of profound security threats and challenges. Allies commit to invest 5 % of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.”

The declaration marks a political victory for U.S. President Donald Trump, who for years has chastised European capitals for under-investing in collective security. Even en route to the summit, Trump appeared to question Article 5—NATO’s core clause requiring members to defend any ally under attack. Yet the final communiqué pledged that allies would “remain united and steadfast in our resolve to protect our one billion citizens, defend the Alliance, and safeguard our freedom and democracy.”

Secretary-General Mark Rutte framed the 5 % pledge—3.5 % for core defence budgets and 1.5 % for related spending on infrastructure and cybersecurity—as a direct response to “profound security threats,” led by Russia’s long-term challenge to Euro-Atlantic stability and the persistent danger of terrorism. Rutte has warned that the Kremlin could be capable of striking NATO territory within five years.

For many allies, the higher bar represents a dramatic escalation. A decade after promising to spend at least 2 % of GDP on defence, countries such as Canada and Spain still struggle to meet that threshold, while front-line states like Poland and Estonia already far exceed it. Several debt-burdened governments, led by Spain, questioned the affordability of the new obligations in closed-door discussions. Leaders agreed to review the “trajectory and balance of spending” in 2029 and clarified that direct military aid to Ukraine will count toward the 5 % goal.

Support for Kyiv runs throughout the communiqué, but language promising that Ukraine’s “future is in NATO” was omitted—reflecting growing U.S. reluctance to expand military commitments. Trump is scheduled to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the summit’s sidelines as Kyiv renews its push for U.S. weapons. The war, now well into its fourth year, continues to test Western resolve.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz summed up the new reality: “This summit is about putting our money where our mouth is. The message to President Putin could not be clearer: don’t pick a fight with NATO.”