Latest news with #NorthAtlanticCouncil
The Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Nato leaders agree to 5% defence spending goal in annual summit
Nato member states have committed to boosting investments in defence to 5 per cent of their domestic output, largely endorsing US President Donald Trump's pressure on Washington's European allies. The North Atlantic Council (NAC), which convened on Wednesday during the two-day Nato summit in The Hague, the member states' leaders agreed to spend the higher percentage annually on core defence requirements and 'defence-and-security-related' expenditures by 2035, in the face of 'profound security threats and challenges', including 'long-term threats posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security'. Nato heads of state said in The Hague Summit Declaration issued after the NAC that their investments would ensure that they have the 'forces, capabilities, resources, infrastructure, war fighting readiness, and resilience' required for 'deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security'. It said the allies agreed that the 5 per cent commitment would be comprised of at least 3.5 per cent of GDP annually on 'core' defence expenditure and requirements within the next decade for meeting 'Nato capability targets', and up to 1.5 per cent to 'protect critical infrastructure, defend our networks, ensure our civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation, and strengthen our defence industrial base'. 'We reaffirm our shared commitment to rapidly expand transatlantic defence industrial cooperation and to harness emerging technology and the spirit of innovation to advance our collective security,' the declaration said. 'We will work to eliminate defence trade barriers among allies and will leverage our partnerships to promote defence industrial cooperation.' The pledge added that the alliance would 'reaffirm their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine', and their 'ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all'. 'Almost all [Nato members] are going to contribute now 5 per cent – a number that people are surprised at, but you need it today,' Trump said at a press briefing after the summit. 'The United States accounts for two-thirds of all Nato defence spending. Since I began pushing for additional commitments in 2017, believe it or not, our allies have increased spending by US$700 billion.' Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters that the summit 'laid the foundations for stronger, fairer and more lethal Nato', through the new investment plan that could 'fuel a quantum leap' in their collective defence. 'Should anyone make the mistake of attack, allies recognise the severity of the threats we face, and in response, they have come together to agree on an ambitious but essential new defence spending commitment,' Rutte said. 'Our decisions today show that from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, from the rest of North America to our eastern flank, all allies are united in understanding that we need to step up to stay safe, and they are active.' Addressing concerns about the Trump administration's commitment to defend Nato allies, Rutte stated the US president had been 'clear' that America was 'committed to Nato', a pledge they 'affirmed again on Wednesday in no uncertain terms'. The 5 per cent defence spending goal originated with the Trump administration's pressure on European Nato allies, leading to a shift from the initial 2 per cent benchmark agreed in 2014. The benchmark was agreed on a compromise text on Sunday between the representatives of each Nato member state before the summit. Rutte said he believed Spain, a holdout on the defence spending commitment, would be convinced to work towards it. Citing budgetary constraints, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that his country would not be able to increase defence spending, claiming that Madrid only had to spend 2.1 per cent of GDP to meet Nato's core military requirements. In his briefing, Trump threatened to double US import tariffs on Spanish goods if Madrid did not work to meet the new Nato target. 'We're going to make them pay twice as much. And I'm actually serious about that,' Trump said. Nato officials, including Rutte, have claimed that a significant increase in defence spending was necessary to counter an increasing Russian threat demonstrated by its war against Ukraine, and to allow Europe to take on more responsibility for its own security as the US shifts its military focus to China. Rutte said in the opening remarks at the NAC that 'assertive grouping of adversaries' seeks to divide and challenge Nato, as well as increasing other 'serious' security threats, calling the alliance to stand together and that the 'adversaries' know it is a 'winning combination' for North America and Europe working together. He asserted that the US carried 'too much' weight in commitments to protect the alliance 'for too long', and praised Trump's leadership for making such a change in defence burden sharing possible. According to Rutte, the Nato member states lagging on defence spending would not have reached the goal of 2 per cent of GDP if Trump had not been elected president, adding that the proposed defence spending goal was 'doable' and that he was 'optimistic' that it would be achieved. 'Seven to eight countries at the start of this year were not at 2 per cent. They will now reach 2 per cent this year. Many countries said 'we will do it somewhere in the 2030s', but now they are committed to do it by this year,' Rutte said. 'Countries have to find money, it's not easy. These are political decisions. I totally recognise that. But at the same time, there is absolute conviction with colleagues at the table, that given those threats from Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative. We've got to do this.' Rutte also addressed the gushing 'Dear Donald' private message he sent to Trump this week, which the US president posted on social media. In it, Rutte said Trump was 'flying into another big success' at Nato after his 'decisive action in Iran'. Rutte confirmed that the text message was a 'statement of fact' and that it was 'absolutely fine' that Trump shared it online. This exchange took place amid renewed concerns over Trump's stance on the alliance's core principles. The US president had previously claimed that Nato member states failing to meet a proposed 5 per cent defence target might not benefit from US protection under Article 5. En route to this week's summit, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that there were 'numerous definitions' of Article 5, fuelling uncertainty about whether the US would defend European members under attack, though he added he was 'committed to saving lives'. On these remarks, Rutte said before Wednesday's summit that the US was 'totally committed to Nato, totally committed to Article 5', and that equalising defence spending among the European Nato member states as much as Washington was 'fair', repeating his remarks from the first day of the summit on Tuesday that Europe must 'stop worrying about the US'. The meeting between Trump and Rutte also took place in the morning on Wednesday, where the US president said 'we're with them all the way' and the increase of defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP would make Nato stronger. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Irish Times
29-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Nato's new defence spending commitment aims to reverse decades of military decline
In cash terms, The Hague Defence Commitment, as it's to be known, agreed last week , will add roughly $1 trillion a year to the common defence of the Nato military alliance, according to US president Donald Trump . But cash alone is never enough. As critical in military terms are the new capability targets the deal will activate, triggering increased cross-border standardisation, improved technical co-operation and more operational integration, aimed at readying the West for war with Russia within five years. On Trump's insistence, the European alliance members plus Canada agreed to increase their defence budgets from the current 2 per cent to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035 – 3.5 per cent on 'hard military spending' and another 1.5 per cent on related civil costs such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. That's why, as the 32 leaders who comprise Nato's decision-making North Atlantic Council were doing their best not to fall out with Trump over the spike in cost, behind the scenes the military planners who assess risk were calculating what strategic difference the extra trillion will make. READ MORE With military efficiency, a 10-page briefing, ' Future-proofing Nato's industrial capacity: how the decisions at the summit will strengthen the allied defence industry ', was circulated in the summit's closing hours, underpinning the imperative to reverse '60 years of progressive decline' in spending. Although the alliance was set up in 1949 as a post-second World War collective security network, it's worth remembering that with the end of the cold war, however, many of the allies switched their spending away from defence to modernising their societies, in what became known as 'the peace dividend'. [ Hostile actions 'are real and accelerating': is Russia already at war with the West? Opens in new window ] Consequently, faced with rapidly diminishing activity, defence companies on both sides of the Atlantic underwent a series of mergers and acquisitions, leading to consolidation in the defence sector. The 51 significant defence manufacturers that remained at the end of the cold war merged into 'the big five' – Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, RTX and Northrop Grumman. Here, European multinationals such as Airbus and missile systems developer, MBDA, emerged. Everything changed, however, in February 2022 with Russia's 'full-scale and brutal invasion of Ukraine', which reminded the allies that 'although the Euro-Atlantic area is not at war, it is not at peace either'. The reality, maintains Germany's chief of defence, Gen Carsten Breuer, is that a full-scale attack on a Nato member is not as far-fetched as it may seem. Moscow, he says, has been producing at least 1,500 battle tanks a year, with a significant build-up of missiles, artillery shells and drones as well, not all of which are earmarked for the war in Ukraine . His assessment, shared by other military experts in the region, goes as far as to conclude that the 'most vulnerable' area for an attack would be the Suwalki Gap, a largely unpopulated corridor in northeast Poland where Poland meets Lithuania, Belarus and Russia. The military experts' briefings to their political leaders have been uncompromising. 'Individually, all of them understand the urgency of the threat that is approaching Nato', says Gen Breuer, who adds he believes Russia could attack by 2029. [ If Russia is indeed planning an attack against a Nato state, distance and neutrality will provide no defence Opens in new window ] Given that threat, Nato's new capability targets involve co-investment, co-development and co-production to make the alliance 'more lethal' as secretary general Mark Rutte put it. And that collaboration will by global – reaching far beyond its 32 member states. Nato's four Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, known as the IP4 – will be critical to that 'enhanced co-operation'. So too will its partnership with the EU, where the political and cultural links are already close and often overlapping. The aim overall is achieving a 'new coherence' in dealing with a familiar enemy. [ The Irish Times view on international politics: law of the jungle taking hold Opens in new window ]
Powys County Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Nato fully committed to Ukraine, PM insists, despite no condemnation of Russia
Nato is committed to supporting Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has insisted, despite no condemnation of Russia's invasion in a joint statement from the alliance's chiefs. The position among the alliance has 'not changed on Ukraine', the Prime Minister said. A communique released on Wednesday after a meeting of leaders in the Hague refers to Nato's unity 'in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security'. It also reaffirms support for Ukraine, but does not explicitly condemn the Russian invasion. Donald Trump has taken a softer approach towards Russian leader Vladimir Putin than other Western leaders in his fraught attempts to negotiate an end to the war, leading to speculation that is why explicit criticism of the invasion did not feature in the communique. Asked if Mr Trump did not want Nato to condemn his Russian counterpart in the summit's concluding statement, Sir Keir said: 'On the question of Ukraine, the position in Nato has not changed, nor has my position changed. 'In fact, over the last couple of days, I would say in my discussions with leaders, there's been a real resolve that now is the time to push again to get Putin to the table for the unconditional ceasefire.' The communique also referred to every Nato member state's 'ironclad commitment to collective defence', enshrined in Nato's Article 5. This commits all members of the alliance to come to the defence of each other if attacked. Allies have signed up to spend 5% of their economic output on defence, comprising 3.5% spending on core defence by 2035, and 1.5% on security and resilience measures. Sir Keir said the UK was on track to spend 4.1% of GDP on defence by 2027, based on this definition, a figure largely boosted by spending towards the 1.5% commitment. The Government is seeking to characterise the outcome of the summit as positive and purposeful. As he travelled to the summit earlier this week, Mr Trump had appeared to pour cold water on America's commitment to the collective defence of Nato allies. He told reporters on the flight from Washington that it would depend 'on your definition' of Article 5, when asked if he would commit to collective defence. But speaking to broadcasters on the way into the summit, the Prime Minister said allies were 'absolutely committed to the importance of Nato, particularly in a very volatile world'. And before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Sir Keir appeared to be in deep conversation with Mr Trump. Sir Keir's message was repeated by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who opened the summit meeting with the words: 'Our joint commitment to Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all, sends a powerful message.' Standing next to Mr Trump, the secretary-general praised the US president for bringing about a commitment from the alliance to spend 5% of GDP on defence, telling him: 'You made this possible.' Earlier, Mr Rutte had described the US president as 'a man of strength' as well as a 'man of peace', praising him for securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Mr Trump also compared Israel and Iran to 'two kids in a school yard' fighting. 'They fight like hell. You can't stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes. Then it's easier to stop them,' he said. Mr Rutte then appeared to compare Mr Trump to a 'daddy' figure to the warring Middle Eastern parties. 'Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,' the secretary-general said. Alongside the commitment to increase defence spending, the UK has also announced its intention to purchase 12 new fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Billed as 'the biggest strengthening' of Britain's nuclear posture 'in a generation', the move will see the jets committed to a Nato mission that would see US nuclear bombs fitted to allied aircraft. It follows a recommendation from the strategic defence review, published earlier in June, to begin negotiations with the US and Nato on joining the alliance's nuclear mission.
South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Nato leaders agree to 5 per cent defence spending goal in annual summit
Nato member states committed to boost investments on defence to five per cent of their domestic output, largely endorsing US President Donald Trump's pressure on Washington's European allies. The North Atlantic Council (NAC), which convened on Wednesday during the two-day Nato Summit in The Hague, the member states' leaders agreed to spend the higher percentage annually on core defence requirements and 'defence-and-security-related' expenditures by 2035, in the face of 'profound security threats and challenges', including 'long-term threats posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security'. Nato heads of state said in The Hague Summit Declaration issued after the NAC that their investments will ensure that they have the 'forces, capabilities, resources, infrastructure, war fighting readiness, and resilience' required for 'deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security'. It said the allies agreed that the five per cent commitment will be comprised of at least 3.5 per cent of GDP annually on 'core' defence expenditure and requirements within the next decade for meeting 'Nato capability targets', and up to 1.5 per cent to 'protect critical infrastructure, defend our networks, ensure our civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation, and strengthen our defence industrial base'. 02:42 Ukraine leader Zelensky ready to step down for peace under Nato security Ukraine leader Zelensky ready to step down for peace under Nato security 'We reaffirm our shared commitment to rapidly expand transatlantic defence industrial cooperation and to harness emerging technology and the spirit of innovation to advance our collective security,' the declaration said. 'We will work to eliminate defence trade barriers among allies and will leverage our partnerships to promote defence industrial cooperation.'
North Wales Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Nato fully committed to Ukraine, PM insists, despite no condemnation of Russia
The position among the alliance has 'not changed on Ukraine', the Prime Minister said. A communique released on Wednesday after a meeting of leaders in the Hague refers to Nato's unity 'in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security'. It also reaffirms support for Ukraine, but does not explicitly condemn the Russian invasion. Donald Trump has taken a softer approach towards Russian leader Vladimir Putin than other Western leaders in his fraught attempts to negotiate an end to the war, leading to speculation that is why explicit criticism of the invasion did not feature in the communique. Asked if Mr Trump did not want Nato to condemn his Russian counterpart in the summit's concluding statement, Sir Keir said: 'On the question of Ukraine, the position in Nato has not changed, nor has my position changed. 'In fact, over the last couple of days, I would say in my discussions with leaders, there's been a real resolve that now is the time to push again to get Putin to the table for the unconditional ceasefire.' The communique also referred to every Nato member state's 'ironclad commitment to collective defence', enshrined in Nato's Article 5. This commits all members of the alliance to come to the defence of each other if attacked. Allies have signed up to spend 5% of their economic output on defence, comprising 3.5% spending on core defence by 2035, and 1.5% on security and resilience measures. Sir Keir said the UK was on track to spend 4.1% of GDP on defence by 2027, based on this definition, a figure largely boosted by spending towards the 1.5% commitment. The Government is seeking to characterise the outcome of the summit as positive and purposeful. As he travelled to the summit earlier this week, Mr Trump had appeared to pour cold water on America's commitment to the collective defence of Nato allies. He told reporters on the flight from Washington that it would depend 'on your definition' of Article 5, when asked if he would commit to collective defence. But speaking to broadcasters on the way into the summit, the Prime Minister said allies were 'absolutely committed to the importance of Nato, particularly in a very volatile world'. And before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Sir Keir appeared to be in deep conversation with Mr Trump. Sir Keir's message was repeated by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who opened the summit meeting with the words: 'Our joint commitment to Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all, sends a powerful message.' Standing next to Mr Trump, the secretary-general praised the US president for bringing about a commitment from the alliance to spend 5% of GDP on defence, telling him: 'You made this possible.' Earlier, Mr Rutte had described the US president as 'a man of strength' as well as a 'man of peace', praising him for securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Mr Trump also compared Israel and Iran to 'two kids in a school yard' fighting. 'They fight like hell. You can't stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes. Then it's easier to stop them,' he said. Mr Rutte then appeared to compare Mr Trump to a 'daddy' figure to the warring Middle Eastern parties. 'Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,' the secretary-general said. Alongside the commitment to increase defence spending, the UK has also announced its intention to purchase 12 new fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Billed as 'the biggest strengthening' of Britain's nuclear posture 'in a generation', the move will see the jets committed to a Nato mission that would see US nuclear bombs fitted to allied aircraft. It follows a recommendation from the strategic defence review, published earlier in June, to begin negotiations with the US and Nato on joining the alliance's nuclear mission.
