Defence

NATO summit: no agreement on 5% spending, but compromise solution

Secretary Rutte speaks of a historic agreement, but the countries went in no particular order with Spain opposed to raising the threshold: yes for 3.5% in arms plus an additional 1.5% for related investments

5 June 2025

Il segretario Nato Mark Rutte e il segretario alla difesa Usa Pete Hegseth (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

4' min read

At a meeting today in Brussels of the defence ministers of the 32 NATO countries, which Secretary General Mark Rutte described as 'historic', new defence capability targets were agreed, to achieve which military spending in each member state will have to increase significantly, according to a new investment plan that Rutte will propose for approval at the next Alliance leaders' summit on 24-25 June in The Hague.

The plan will propose that 3.5% of GDP per year be reached in the next few years (when exactly the leaders will decide) in expenditure strictly dedicated to increasing defence capabilities, and 1.5% for security and defence-related investments, for a total of 5% of the GDP of each allied country. Italy, for its part, is still a long way from reaching the American desires: '5% now for the Italian budget is impossible to think of. In the meantime, it can be a perspective, if the leaders set it, in the long term, in which there is a 3.5% that can be reached by 2035 and a 1.5% untied from pure defence investments that can instead be used in a dual way,' said Minister Crosetto.

"There is broad support" from NATO countries for the 5% of GDP defence spending target, "I think US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has spoken in broad agreement. So we are really close'. So says Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte at a press conference after the meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels.

The Spanish Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, insisted that dedicating 2% of GDP to defence spending by this year is 'sufficient'. "We believe that it is not necessary to talk about percentages, nor about 3.5% plus 1.5%, but that each country, within its own approach, is able to meet the targets imposed," she said in statements to the media on the sidelines of the NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels. The minister argued, however, that the Spanish government would not go as far as to veto the five per cent at the NATO summit in The Hague. "We believe that it will not come to that. Spain will not veto anything because its commitment clearly shows that it is an ally that builds and does not place obstacles,' she said.

To be 'prepared for war' and 'not be attacked' will require 'considerable extra investment: I anticipate that much higher spending targets will be decided in The Hague for all NATO nations'. This was said by Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on his arrival at the Alliance's defence ministerial. "We have to defend ourselves, invest in our long-range missiles, in our new national defence formations, in command and control systems. All this has to happen and it means huge investments that we need throughout NATO," he reiterated. "The new defence investment plan is based on what we need in terms of strategic capabilities," Rutte noted, saying he expected today "an understanding" between the defence ministers on capability targets, calling it a "historic" step.

"We will talk to all our allies" about the fact that "5 per cent" of GDP in defence spending "is the threshold we must aim for considering the threats we face in the world today, and we will approach this conversation in a vigorous and constructive manner," says US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth upon his arrival at the NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brussels.

"Today," Hegseth adds, "we are talking about capabilities, and that is important. You have to know what you're spending on," and "the reason I'm here is to make sure that every country in NATO understands that" they have to contribute, "every country has to contribute the 5 percent threshold as a recognition of the nature of the threat," "the United States is proud to be here alongside our allies, but our message will continue to be clear: it's deterrence and peace through strength, but it cannot be reliance. It cannot and will not be relied upon in a world full of threats, where America stands ready to help meet them. I was recently in the Indo-Pacific and we were clear about these threats. We are ready to step up. We need our allies to step up and we need to stand by them."

"We got the message: today will be an important meeting, because today we will agree on the capability goals we need to ensure the security of 1 billion people in NATO territory. We will decide at the NATO summit on spending, and we already know that we have to spend much, much more if we want to achieve all these goals. And by the way, by doing this, we will also achieve a balance in terms of spending between Canada, Europe and the United States,' Rutte said at a press point together with Hegseth. 'There has been a total commitment from the US to NATO, but it is expected that the European and Canadian allies will increase spending, and I am quite confident that we will get there,' he adds.

Germany will need around '50-60 thousand more active soldiers' to meet the new Nato capability targets, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said ahead of the Alliance's Defence Ministerial, where operational capability targets will be defined. To meet those targets, the German army will 'build new large units', he explained.

The capability targets that NATO defence ministers are expected to approve today essentially reflect the commitments of each ally in terms of means and manpower to ensure deterrence and collective defence. And they will - reportedly - be 30 per cent higher than the last, released in 2021. But those targets, they estimate at NATO, are only partly met, 'between 60 per cent and 80 per cent', depending on the country in question. So the actual increase will be higher, in a range from 50% to 70%. The allies will have to ensure that the targets are met within 'five to ten years'.