NATO leaders reached an agreement on Wednesday to significantly boost defence spending following pressure from US President Donald Trump. They reaffirmed their ‘ironclad commitment’ to defend one another in the event of an attack.
In their concluding summit declaration, all 32 leaders said: ‘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.’
While Spain had already publicly declared that it would be unable to meet this target, with other nations also expressing doubts, the pledge includes a planned review in 2029 — following the next US presidential election — to assess progress and reevaluate the security threat posed by Russia. ALSO READ: Spain reaches deal with NATO to be excluded from 5% defence spending goal.
The leaders also reiterated their ‘ironclad commitment’ to NATO’s collective defence principle — ‘that an attack on one is an attack on all’. Prior to the summit, Trump had once again raised questions over whether the US would uphold its defence obligations to its allies.
‘We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all. We remain united and steadfast in our resolve to protect our one billion citizens, defend the Alliance, and safeguard our freedom and democracy,’ the declaration read.
This display of unity supported NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s portrayal of the summit as ‘transformational’, despite the fact that it masked underlying disagreements.
‘Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO,’ Rutte told reporters after chairing the summit in The Hague. ‘This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defence.’
The increase in defence spending obliges member nations to allocate billions more dollars to their militaries. This move comes at a time when the United States — the largest contributor to NATO — is redirecting focus from Europe to other strategic regions, particularly the Middle East.
Nevertheless, ahead of the summit, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that Spain would not be able to hit the 2035 deadline, describing the target as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘incompatible with our worldview’. Belgium also indicated it would fall short, while Slovakia stressed that it retains the right to determine its own defence budget.
Sánchez stood conspicuously aside from other leaders in the summit family photo (main image).
Many European nations are grappling with significant economic challenges, and Trump’s on-going global tariff disputes may further complicate efforts for America’s allies to meet their defence commitments. Some countries have already begun cutting back on welfare and foreign aid to divert funds into their defence budgets. ALSO READ: Trump and Von der Leyen agree 9 July deadline to reach US-EU tariff deal after 50% threat.
On board Air Force One and on his way to the NATO summit on Tuesday, Trump had said that there’s ‘always a problem with Spain’, in reference to the country not agreeing to spend 5% of its GDP on defence. ‘Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly,’ he said. ALSO READ: Donald Trump on way to NATO summit: ‘There’s always a problem with Spain’.
He also singled out Canada, calling it ‘a low payer’. During Trump’s first term in 2018, a NATO summit collapsed due to disputes over defence spending.
In contrast, countries situated near Russia and Ukraine — including Poland, the three Baltic states, and the Nordic nations — have committed to meeting the 5% goal. Major European powers such as Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands have also pledged to reach the target.
The leaders stated in their declaration that they remain united ‘in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia’. There had been concerns that Trump might challenge this assessment, which is critical for European governments to justify the increased military spending.
Trump has continued to show reluctance in fully supporting Ukraine amid its on-going war against Russia’s large-scale invasion.
‘We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to NATO membership,’ Rutte said. The Trump administration, however, has blocked Ukraine’s NATO membership bid for the foreseeable future.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced strong support for the new spending commitment, stating, ‘This is the moment to unite, for Europe to make fundamental shift in its posture and for NATO to meet this challenge head-on.’
Following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO members had agreed to make spending 2% of GDP the baseline. Last year, 22 nations were expected to meet that goal, a sharp increase from just three countries achieving it a decade earlier.
At the Hague summit, NATO members endorsed a substantial overhaul of their spending commitments. They raised the benchmark for what NATO terms ‘core defence spending’ to 3.5%, while expanding the definition to include military assistance to Ukraine.
To meet Trump’s 5% demand, the agreement also set an additional target of 1.5% of GDP for broader defence-related expenditures. This includes investments in infrastructure like roads, bridges, ports and airfields to enable faster military deployments, as well as measures to counter cyberattacks, hybrid warfare, and to prepare civilian populations for future conflicts. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez announces €10.5bn more in defence spending, to reach 2% of GDP.
Additional funding could also be required if the Trump administration proceeds with plans to reduce the US military presence in Europe, where approximately 84,000 American troops are currently stationed. The Pentagon is expected to reveal its plans in the coming months.
When asked why Trump believes the 5% target should not apply to the US, Rutte responded: ‘The US is more or less there,’ referring to America’s current spending levels.
Beyond responding to Trump’s demands, European members and Canada have already substantially increased defence investments due to mounting concerns over the threat from Russia. Several nations fear that Moscow could launch an attack on NATO territory before the decade ends.
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The Hague Summit Declaration issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in The Hague#NATOsummit
— NATO (@NATO) June 25, 2025
España está firmemente comprometida con los objetivos de capacidad y los cumplirá en tiempo y forma.
Hoy, alcanzamos un acuerdo satisfactorio para todos y que defiende el multilateralismo.
Nuestro país seguirá siendo una pieza clave de la arquitectura de la seguridad europea. pic.twitter.com/gMChPm32XO
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) June 25, 2025
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