Trump urges NATO allies to raise defense spending to 5% GDP
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, set to assume office on January 20, has consistently emphasized his desire for NATO allies to boost their defense spending.
Now, however, he expects European countries to increase their spending to more than double the current target of 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP).
Trump’s team informed European officials that the future U.S. president expects NATO members to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
European NATO members are facing mounting pressure to increase defense budgets, especially following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s threats against Kyiv’s supporters. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated earlier this month that alliance members must spend "significantly more" on defense moving forward—above 2% of GDP, mirroring Donald Trump’s stance.
Encouragingly, a June NATO report shows that 23 of the 32 alliance members already meet the 2% defense spending target, with Romania exceeding it at 2.25%. However, nine countries, including Germany and Spain, remain below this benchmark.
Trump’s stance highlights collective security efforts rather than obligating members to purchase U.S. arms, leaving them free to allocate budgets as they see fit. Poland leads NATO in defense spending at 4.1% of GDP, significantly surpassing the United States’ 3.4%.
Author: Dan Alexe
Translation by Iurie Tataru
