NATO nations lined up a “big success” for U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, with an agreement to spend 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense — just hours after he refused to commit to the alliance’s core collective security promise.
In a joint declaration released after a two-day summit of NATO leaders and senior officials in the Netherlands, the 32-member grouping said it was “united in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long— term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security” — a key focus of the meeting.
The new spending target will see alliance members ramp up defense-related spending to a total of 5% of GDP by 2035, with 3.5% dedicated to core needs such as troops and weapons and 1.5% to security-related investments in cybersecurity, infrastructure and other areas.
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