NATO Eyes 5% Defense Spending Goal Amid Divided Support

Daily Tribune

5 days ago

At a high-stakes NATO summit in the Netherlands on Tuesday, NATO's new Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised former U.S. President Donald Trump for pressuring European nations to boost their defense spending—crediting him with pushing the alliance to a historic turning point.
As world leaders gathered for the meeting, Trump shared a private message from Rutte on social media, which read: 'Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.'
Rutte added in the message: 'Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.' NATO later confirmed the message was genuine.
Rutte, who recently stepped into his NATO role, told reporters he had no issue with Trump sharing the note publicly. 'There's nothing in it that needed to be kept secret,' he said, brushing off concerns.
Trump arrived in the Netherlands late Tuesday, after raising doubts about whether the U.S. remains fully committed to NATO's mutual defense clause—Article 5—which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. When asked if the U.S. still stands by it, Trump replied vaguely, 'Depends on your definition.' Rutte, however, reaffirmed his full confidence in the alliance's unity and commitments.
One of the summit's most pressing issues is a proposed new target: NATO members committing 5% of their GDP to defense spending by 2035. While the U.S. has long pushed for increased European contributions, not all allies are on board. Spain has called the target 'unreasonable,' and Slovakia wants flexibility in how it meets the goal.
'There's a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly,' Trump told reporters.
The atmosphere echoed tensions from 2018, when a previous NATO summit under Trump's first term nearly collapsed due to similar disputes over military budgets. Now, as the alliance faces new global threats and internal differences, leaders must navigate the fine balance between unity and national interests.
The summit continues on Wednesday, with leaders expected to formally decide on the 5% pledge. Whether it will be a breakthrough or another moment of division remains to be seen.