NATO summit in the Hague: Trump enthusiastic about new defense spending!

NATO summit in the Hague: Trump enthusiastic about new defense spending!

President Donald Trump came to the NATO summit in Amsterdam today, which takes place as part of a crucial phase for the military alliance strategy in the Hague. According to Krone , Trump was impressed by the concessions of his NATO partners. He expressed that the collaboration would work better in the future because the Member States are stopped to pay more for defense and security. "I no longer feel ripped off by the Europeans," said Trump and praised the heads of state and government for their engagements.

NATO has made an agreement that provides for a massive increase in defense expenditure. This is done in the context of the continuing Russian attack on Ukraine. Each member country is obliged to invest at least five percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in the area of ​​defense by 2035 at the latest. So far, the goal was only two percent, such as Tagesschau reported.

new defense spending and geopolitical tensions

UK and in connection with the developments in Ukraine, this decision has been made. The US President was satisfied with the agreement on the new defense spending and emphasized the need that the NATO countries comply with the assistance obligation in accordance with Article 5 of the NATO contract. Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned of a possible attack by Russia on NATO member states at the summit and thus confirmed the urgency of this strategic reorientation.

to remember: The NATO agreement stipulates that each member country must spend at least 3.5 percent of GDP for defense spending by 2030. Expenditures for fighting terrorism and military infrastructure are also included. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte asked the Allies to implement the new plan and emphasized the responsibility of Europe and Canada for joint security.

defense spending in the context of the current Situation

according to Tagesschau 2024 have provided a total of about 2.71 percent of their GDP for defense, which corresponds to a volume of around 1.5 trillion. Europe and Canada are said to have 2.02 percent of GDP together, which corresponds to $ 507 billion. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase in defense spending by 10.9 percent.

The factors of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine have strongly influenced the perception of the threat, which has led to higher expenses. In particular, new Member States such as Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Finland and Sweden contribute to the increase in expenses. The pressure on the Member States to increase their defense contributions has increased significantly, in particular since Trump has repeatedly criticized inadequate contributions from NATO allies.