NATO's Rutte says he assumes alliance will agree on 5% spending target
FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrives at the 6th European Political Community summit at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania May 16, 2025. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that he assumes alliance members will agree to a broad defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product during a summit in The Hague next month.
"I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of in total 5%," Rutte said at a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton.
"Let's say that this 5%, but I will not say what is the individual breakup, but it will be considerably north of 3% when it comes to the hard spend, and it will be also a target on defence-related spending," he added.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Rutte had proposed NATO members raise defence spending to 3.5% of their GDP, and a further 1.5% on broader security-related items to meet U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for a 5% target.
NATO aims to agree on the new targets at a summit of alliance leaders in The Hague on June 24-25.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said earlier this month that "Rutte has sent a letter to all NATO members to say that he expects that the commitment at the NATO summit will be 3.5% on hard military spending, to be reached in 2032, and 1.5% on related spending such as on infrastructure, cyber security, and similar things also to be reached by 2032". REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine boxer Oleksandr Usyk wants Trump to ‘live in his house' to witness war
Oleksandr Usyk speaking at a press conference in London, on April 29. PHOTO: REUTERS Ukraine boxer Oleksandr Usyk wants Trump to 'live in his house' to witness war LONDON - World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has offered Donald Trump the chance to live in his house in a bid to help the US president understand the war in Ukraine. Mr Trump had vowed to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine 'in 24 hours' if he was elected president. But there has been no end to Russia's invasion since Mr Trump returned to the White House in 2024. Ukrainian boxer Usyk, who has been a tireless campaigner for peace in his homeland, believes Mr Trump needs to have a clearer view of the dire situation if he is to find a solution to the crisis. The 38-year-old has urged the president to join him at his house in Ukraine to see for himself the damage done by the war. 'I advise American President Donald Trump to come to Ukraine and live in my house for one week,' Usyk told BBC Sport on June 8. 'Only one week. I will give him my house. Live please in Ukraine and watch what is going on every night. 'Every night there are bombs and flights above my house. Bombs, rocket. Every night. It's enough.' Mr Trump clashed with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky during a contentious summit meeting in the Oval Office in February. Mr Trump warned Mr Zelensky to show more gratitude for America's help in peace talks before telling him to leave the White House. Asked if Mr Trump could be convinced to change his opinion, Usyk said: 'I don't know. Maybe he'll understand, maybe he won't.' Usyk, who has won all 23 of his professional bouts, is currently in a training camp to prepare for a rematch with IBF champion Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley. But the WBC, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion said the war is never far from his mind. 'I worry about what happens in my country. It's very bad because Ukrainian people have died,' he said. 'It's not just military people, children, women, grandmothers and grandfathers, too.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
The day the music died at the Shangri-La
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth seen on a monitor delivering an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31. PHOTO: AFP The mood music seemed incongruous. On stage, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was thumping his chest, declaring how the United States was rebuilding its military, restoring a warrior ethos and re-establishing deterrence. Warning darkly of a gathering threat to the region, he said: 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Is the US' economic exceptionalism truly over?
With rising government debt, growing political risks and a shifting geoeconomic order, investors are asking: is it time to 'Sell America'? PHOTO: REUTERS SINGAPORE – Historians have described the era since the end of World War II as Pax Americana – a period defined by US dominance in geopolitics, innovation and finance. For investors, this translated into fertile ground for wealth accumulation on an unprecedented scale, underwritten by the US' economic primacy, technological leadership, and respect for the rule of law. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
