U.S. President Donald Trump has been exercising pressure for NATO allies to increase their defense spending across both of his terms in office.
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Mark Rutte, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
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NATO allies on Thursday agreed to more than double their defense spending target from 2% of gross domestic product to 5%, in the most decisive move from the alliance in over a decade.
In a joint declaration, the alliance 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 and the “persistent threat” of terrorism.
