NATO’s 32 member states on Wednesday committed to a significant boost in defense spending, pledging to allocate 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) annually by 2035 to meet both core defense requirements and broader security needs.
In a declaration issued at the end of a summit in The Hague, the alliance said the investment aims to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities amid growing security challenges, particularly the “long-term threat” posed by Russia and the persistent danger of terrorism.
“Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defense- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations, in accordance with Article 3 of the Washington Treaty,” the declaration said.
The 5% target includes two main components: at least 3.5% of GDP annually for core defense expenditures to meet NATO Capability Targets, and up to 1.5% of GDP for areas such as critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, civil resilience, innovation, and industrial capacity-building.
Each member state will submit annual plans outlining a credible trajectory to reach the spending goal. NATO leaders agreed to review progress in 2029, adjusting the balance based on the evolving strategic environment and defense requirements.
The Hague declaration underscores that these increased investments will enable NATO to fulfill its three core tasks: deterrence and defense, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security.
Support for Ukraine’s defense efforts and industrial base will be included in the calculation of allies’ defense spending under the new 5% framework.
“Allies reaffirm their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, and, to this end, will include direct contributions towards Ukraine’s defence and its defence industry when calculating Allies’ defence spending,” said the declaration.
The declaration reaffirmed NATO’s intention to expand transatlantic defense industrial cooperation and reduce barriers to defense trade among allies. It stated: “We will work to eliminate defence trade barriers among Allies and will leverage our partnerships to promote defence industrial cooperation.”
The declaration also confirmed that next year’s NATO summit will be held in Türkiye, followed by Albania in 2027.
– ‘Massive blow’ to Iran’s nuclear ambitions
Speaking at a press conference at the end of the summit, Rutte praised the recent US operation targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities, calling it a “very targeted” move and “a massive blow” to Tehran’s ambitions.
“I commend the president for that,” he added.
On Russia, Rutte maintained his established stance, saying: “I don’t trust (President Vladimir) Putin.” He stressed that the Russian leader’s goal to divide the West backfired, as Finland and Sweden joined NATO since the start of the Ukraine war and its allies committed to more defense spending.
Regarding the lack of language on Ukraine’s membership in the summit declaration, Rutte said that NATO chose a concise format: “What we really want to do here is not to recall all the language, like the ‘irreversible path’ of the way (for Ukraine) into NATO. It’s still there. Nothing changed, but really to focus on three core issues in five paragraphs.”
