NATO commits to doubling military budgets: As it happened
NATO leaders have agreed to a massive spike in defense spending, overcoming internal divisions and relegating Ukraine to a secondary agenda item to finalize a historic pact that will double members' military budgets. At a short summit in The Hague, the US-led military bloc committed to raising defense expenditures to 5% of member GDP by 2035, a dramatic escalation from the current 2% target.
US President Donald Trump hailed the agreement as a 'monumental win,' having pressured European members to 'pay their share' since the first term.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the spending surge as building an alliance that is 'stronger, fairer, and more lethal', a mantra he has championed since June 2025 as NATO's new strategic doctrine.
Rutte has been doubling down on flattery, privately texting Trump praise for his 'decisive action' by attacking Iran and crediting him for NATO's historic 5% defense spending target increase. During the summit the NATO chief then likened the US president to a 'daddy' using 'strong language,' defending Trump's recent on-camera f-bomb about Iran and Israel.
In an unusually short five-paragraph statement NATO leaders cited undefined 'long-term threats' from Russia while Ukraine was only mentioned in one sentence. Ukrainian Leader Vladimir Zelensky was confined to a pre-summit dinner, excluded from key meetings, and granted a sidelined conversation with Trump, who stated that ceasefire talks were 'not on the agenda'.
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