Rutte to Present NATO 5% Spending Review as Trump Presses Allies
Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 18
Rutte to Present NATO 5% Spending Review as Trump Presses Allies
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 18
Summary
NATO defense ministers on Thursday will receive a classified assessment from Secretary-General Mark Rutte on how far members have progressed toward the alliance’s new 5% of GDP defense-spending goal.
The review is expected to spotlight allies still well short of the 2035 benchmark, turning a political pledge into a test of actual budget plans.
Trump’s pressure for greater burden-sharing and Washington’s reduced military commitment to NATO have intensified scrutiny on European governments to show they can shoulder more of their own defense.
That makes the assessment a key marker before leaders gather in Ankara next month, where the gap between the alliance’s 5% promise and current spending levels will be harder to ignore.