NATO members agree to delay timeline for raising defense spending increase
(MENAFN) NATO member countries have decided to postpone their planned timeline for boosting defense spending to the level proposed by US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported Monday, citing Spain’s resistance as a key factor.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had initially sought approval this week for a declaration raising the defense spending target from the current 2% of GDP to 3.5%. Additionally, members would allocate an extra 1.5% toward wider security efforts, including infrastructure projects like bridge upgrades to facilitate troop movements.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, the deadline for meeting these targets was extended from 2032 to 2035. The language of the declaration was also softened from “we commit” to “allies commit” after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez openly refused to back the proposal.
Spain is among the NATO members that have not yet reached the 2% spending benchmark. On Sunday, Sanchez declared that Spain would not pursue the new objectives but would increase military spending to 2.1% of GDP, “nothing more, nothing less.”
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment but we won’t do it,” Sanchez said during a national television broadcast, reportedly after final amendments to the draft declaration were made.
Earlier, Trump criticized Spain for being “notorious” in failing to meet NATO’s current targets and argued that the US should not be pressured to reach a 5% spending level, given its already high defense expenditures.
Reports also indicated that the NATO summit agenda in The Hague, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, was adjusted to reduce emphasis on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was reportedly invited only to a welcome dinner, which he might skip.
On Saturday, Zelensky called on Western countries to commit 0.25% of their GDP to support Ukraine’s defense industry.
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