NATO agree on a height of defensive spending and confirms the guarantee of “iron” security

The NATO meeting in The Hague agreed to increase defense spending on 5 % of their economic production by 2025, after months of pressure from US President Donald Trump.

In a statement they said they were united against “deep threats and security, especially the long -term threat that Russia poses to European Atlantic Security and the ongoing threat to terrorism.”

Many leaders described the Hague Summit as historical, and Secretary General Mark Root said that the decisions taken on Wednesday would include continuous support for Ukraine while pressing for peace.

The leaders also said that they were reaffirming them “IronClad’s commitment to collective defense” – Known as mutual security guarantee if any one member is attacked.

The commitment to raising defense spending over 10 years includes at least 3.5 % of the GDP of each member state at defense expenditures by 2035, as well as up to 1.5 % on a specific chain on a wide range of loose -related investments to security infrastructure.

“For a long time, one ally, the United States, carry a lot of burden,” said Secretary -General Mark Retty, adding: “This is changing today.”

The US president said he will be “a great victory for everyone, I think. We will be equal to soon, and this is how you should be.”

However, Spain in particular intercepted a 5 % goal before the meeting. Economy Secretary Carlos Cuuebo said Madrid is making a “tremendous effort” to reach a 2.1 % goal. “The discussion about the percentage is misleading,” he told Radio to the Spanish.

The Belgian government also expressed reservations, but Prime Minister Bart de Weaver told the correspondents that although it would not be easy “3.5 % within 10 years a realistic goal.”

The Hague Summit, which started with a dinner on Tuesday night, hosted by King William Alexander and Queen Queen Maxima, so the leaders gathering in the foreground on Wednesday was scheduled to last two and a half hours, with a short agreement in the end.

Rott told NATO leaders that they were gathering in a “dangerous moment”, and that ensuring the defense alliance for mutual defense – “an attack on one of them is an attack at all, sending a strong message.”

When the leaders met for the traditional “family image”, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was standing himself at the end of the group.

Slovakia also raised concerns about the significant rise in defensive spending, but President Peter Bilgerini indicated that Bratislava would not stand on the way.

Trump’s visit to The Hague was his first trip to the NATO Summit since 2019 and was scheduled to meet in Ukraine, Volodimir Zellinsky, on the margin after that.

However, the US President was keen to talk about the conflict in the Middle East of the war in Ukraine, when he spoke to the correspondents on Wednesday.

“He has faced little difficulty, Zelinsky, a nice man,” Trump said. “I spoke to Putin a lot … I volunteered with the help of Iran. I said I am good, helped us in Russia, not Iran.”

In the final statement, NATO member states stressed their obligations to provide support to Ukraine, “which our security contributes to our security,” adding that direct contributions to the defense of Kiev and its defense industry will be included in assessing defense spending of the allies.

The American president seemed to have raised questions about the coalition’s mutual defense guarantee, known as Article Five.

“There are many definitions for the fifth article. Did you know this correctly?” He told reporters in the first air force on Tuesday.

Mark Retty later sought to cancel concerns about Trump’s comments, and insisted that his European colleagues should stop concern about the American commitment to the Western alliance and focus on investing in defense and support for Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Sir Kerr Starmer said that NATO was now relevant as it was at all: “We live in a very volatile world and today is about NATO unity, which indicates this strength. We are greater than we were before, we are stronger than we were before.”