Trump praises new NATO commitment to increase defense spending
(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised a new NATO commitment to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, calling it a "monumental" achievement for the United States.
"It's a monumental win for the United States, because we were carrying much more than our fair share," Trump told reporters following the conclusion of the NATO summit attended by all 32 member countries.
He described the gathering in The Hague as “fantastic” and a “big success,” particularly in light of the alliance’s agreement to back his long-standing demand for higher military spending. “I think the summit was fantastic. It was a big success,” he told Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
In a joint declaration, NATO members identified Russia as a sustained danger to the security of the Euro-Atlantic region and reiterated their “enduring” commitment to support Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities.
The leaders stated they were “united in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.”
The summit also underscored NATO’s foundational commitment to collective defense, a principle that had drawn scrutiny following Trump’s past remarks. “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,” the declaration emphasized.
One of the most significant outcomes of the summit was the consensus to increase defense-related expenditures. The statement read: “Allies commit to invest five per cent of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence- and security-related spending by 2035.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to reassure allies about U.S. reliability within the alliance, noting that the United States remains “totally committed” to the Article 5 mutual defense clause, even after Trump’s earlier comments appeared to cast doubt on it.
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