NATO under pressure: Rutte fights for compromise with Trump in military spending!

NATO under pressure: Rutte fights for compromise with Trump in military spending!

Den Haag, Niederlande - NATO is faced with a decisive agreement on defense spending, such as OE24 . NATO boss Mark Rutte has proposed that the member states increase their defense spending to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This measure is intended to accommodate US President Donald Trump, who demands an increase to at least five percent. Rutte also suggests using 1.5 percent of the spending on defensive areas to create flexible solutions.

These negotiations are particularly important with regard to the NATO summit in June in the Hague, where a compromise could be achieved after many European states and Canada find the demand for five percent as too high. Such a step would bring urgently needed support for NATO and the security policy of the Member States.

Current defense spending in the NATO countries

In 2024, NATO states plan to issue a total of 2.71 percent of their GDP for defense, which corresponds to about $ 1.5 trillion, according to the analysis of Tagesschau . European Allies and Canada are to spend around 2.02 percent of GDP, which corresponds to $ 507 billion. This represents an increase in defense spending by 10.9 percent compared to the previous year, with European expenses increasing by 17.9 percent.

The development of these expenses has been influenced not least by the geopolitical changes, such as the Ukraine conflict and the admission of new Member States such as Montenegro and Northern Macedonia. The goal of reaching 2 percent of GDP for defense by 2024 was decided without obligation in 2002 and later, in 2014. Germany is expected to climb the 2 percent mark for the first time and report a defense edition of 2.12 percent for 2024, which is made possible by calculation adjustments.

leader and final light

An overview of the defense spending shows that Poland with 4.12 percent, Estonia with 3.43 percent and the United States are 3.38 percent. In contrast, Spain, Slovenia and Luxembourg are at the end of the list with expenses of less than 1.3 percent. The reactions among the German politicians for the demands for higher expenses are mixed. While some Trump's approach see critically, the Czech head of government is open to a discussion about higher defense spending and suggests 3 percent as a goal.

The development of the military expenditure of the NATO countries over the years is also documented by surveys by Statista . These publications offer a comprehensive overview of the amount of military expenditure in the NATO countries from 1990 to 2023, which provides an important context for the current discussions about defense spending.