NATO Summit Unlikely to Formalize 5% Defense Spending Target

At the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, an agreement on raising the defense spending target to 5% is unlikely to be reached, warns Minister Ruben Brekelmans. The proposed increase would effectively double defense expenditures for most member states and is a key agenda item. 'Trump won’t like this,' says defense expert Peter Wijninga.

U.S. President Trump confirmed his attendance at the July summit in a call with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. The 5% target is a U.S. demand, though the U.S. itself falls short, notes Wijninga of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). NATO Secretary-General Rutte has already softened the proposal to 3.5% for direct defense spending and 1.5% for indirect expenses like infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Rutte claims 'broad support' for the new target, but countries like Belgium, Spain, and Italy remain unconvinced—they currently fail to meet the existing 2% benchmark. 'NATO operates by consensus, so unanimous approval is required,' Wijninga explains.