NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urges European members to contribute concrete solutions to the debate on defense spending, highlighting the need for constructive engagement. The alliance will establish a new agreement on defense spending targets at the upcoming summit in June.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday issued a direct message to European members of the military alliance : cease complaining and propose solutions. Rutte emphasized the importance of constructive engagement during the Munich Security Conference, urging members to contribute to the debate with concrete ideas rather than dwelling on grievances.
He also confirmed that the alliance will establish a new agreement regarding defense spending targets at the upcoming summit in The Hague, Netherlands, in June. Speaking alongside Rutte on a panel, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine had inadvertently spurred a greater commitment to military spending among NATO members than any other factor. Graham stated that Putin's actions had inadvertently done more to bolster NATO than any of its member states, characterizing the Russian leader's decision as a 'serious miscalculation.' The contentious issue of NATO defense spending has become a focal point of growing tension and unease between the United States and Europe. Relations between former President Donald Trump and the Western military alliance were strained throughout his presidency, with Trump frequently criticizing NATO member states for failing to meet a 2014 target of allocating at least 2% of their GDP to defense annually. As he approached the end of his first term, Trump signaled that the debate over military spending - and his view that NATO members rely excessively on the United States for their security - would remain a priority, asserting that NATO's 32 member nations should contribute even more to their collective defense. He stated, 'They can all afford it, but they should be at 5%, not 2%'. There's been a notable increase in defense expenditure among NATO members since Trump left office. In 2018, at the peak of Trump's frustration with the military alliance, only six member states met the 2% of GDP target. While some countries, such as Poland, Estonia, the United States, Latvia, and Greece, exceeded this threshold in 2024, major economies like Canada, Spain, and Italy remain below the target. No NATO member, including the United States under President Joe Biden's administration, has reached the 5% target suggested by Trump
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