NATO chief Mark Rutte has said he is “optimistic” that members will agree to a major boost in defence spending and stressed that Washington is “totally committed to the alliance”, on the second day of the organisation’s annual summit.
Leaders of the transatlantic alliance’s 32 members are meeting in the Dutch city of The Hague on Wednesday under pressure from the Trump administration to approve new targets of spending 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, amid swirling questions over United States President Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance.
But, speaking before a leaders’ meeting on the second and final day of the annual summit, NATO Secretary-General Rutte insisted there was no question of Washington, NATO’s most powerful member, backing away from the alliance or its underlying principle of mutual defence.
“There is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO, totally committed to Article 5,” he said, referring to the cornerstone collective defence principle enshrined in NATO’s founding treaty, which holds that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.
“And yes, there is also an expectation, which will be fulfilled today, that the Canadians and the Europeans will speed up their spending, making sure that we are able to defend ourselves against the Russians and others,” he said.
He expected the summit to be “transformational” for the alliance, he added.
Trump sows doubt
Trump has repeatedly complained that Washington carries too much of the military burden, and questioned whether the alliance should defend members who failed to meet its defence spending targets.
His administration has demanded that NATO allies agree to increase their defence spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), up from the current target of 2 percent.
Nine NATO members currently spend less than the existing 2 percent target on defence, according to NATO estimates.
En route to The Hague on Tuesday, Trump further stoked doubts over his commitment to the alliance when asked whether Washington would abide by NATO’s mutual defence guarantees.
“Depends on your definition,” Trump told reporters. “There’s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right? But I’m committed to being their friends.”
But speaking to journalists before the summit opened, Trump sought to reassure allies over the US committment to mutual defence, saying: “We’re with them all the way.”
Washington’s ‘problem with Spain’
In response to the US demands to boost defence spending , some NATO countries like Germany and the United Kingdom have already announced major new investments in their militaries, acknowledging the need to respond to the threat posed by Russia, in particular.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that Germany would increase spending to become “Europe’s strongest conventional army”, while the UK, which has already said it will meet the new spending targets, has announced the purchase of a fleet of fighter jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear missiles.
But other countries signalled their resistance to the proposed targets, which are to be met by a 2035 deadline. Spain, NATO’s lowest defence spender last year, according to NATO estimates, has said it will not be able to meet the target by 2035, calling the figure “unreasonable”.
Belgium has also indicated that it will not make the 5 percent target, while Slovakia said it reserves the right to determine its own defence expenditure, The Associated Press news agency reported.
On Tuesday, Trump singled out Spain’s stance, saying: “There’s a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly.”
‘A more balanced NATO’
Other NATO leaders, however, expressed their full support for the alliance and the increased defence spending targets on Wednesday.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said “Article 5 is clear … and means collective defence and there is no discussion about this article,” as he arrived at a meeting.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters that the boost to military spending was important and necessary.
“The disarmament was allowed to go on for too long,” she said.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, whose country borders Russia, told reporters that he believed the alliance was evolving.
“I think we’re witnessing the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO, and a NATO which has more European responsibility,” he said, according to the Reuters news agency.