Rutte pushes NATO to hit the 5% defense mark
The post Rutte pushes NATO to hit the 5% defense mark appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. NATO allies are advancing to adopt a defense spending goal worth 5% of GDP and could seal the deal at a leaders’ summit in The Hague next month, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday. During a session at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in the United States, Rutte told lawmakers, “I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a higher defense spending target of in total 5%.” His remark is the strongest push yet for a bigger budget. The shift follows months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that allies must lift military budgets or risk losing American protection. Many capitals first brushed off the threat, but rising tension with Russia and checks on Europe’s readiness have changed the debate. More leaders now back the new bar, which is well above NATO’s current rule that each member spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote to alliance leaders this month, urging 3.5% of GDP on “hard military spending” and another 1.5% on areas such as infrastructure and cyber security within seven years. The letter set a clear path toward the larger figure now on the table. Monday’s statement is the first time the NATO chief has publicly embraced the full 5% figure. Rutte did not give a precise split but said traditional military programs would be “considerably north of 3%,” with the rest for transport, depots, and other support costs. NATO data show that 23 of the alliance’s 32 members are on track to hit the 2% line by this summer, a jump from only three nations when the rule was set in 2014 after Russia’s first move against Ukraine. None is yet at 5%. Poland leads at about 4.7% of GDP, while Lithuania and Latvia plan to reach…
The post Rutte pushes NATO to hit the 5% defense mark appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
NATO allies are advancing to adopt a defense spending goal worth 5% of GDP and could seal the deal at a leaders’ summit in The Hague next month, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday. During a session at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in the United States, Rutte told lawmakers, “I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a higher defense spending target of in total 5%.” His remark is the strongest push yet for a bigger budget. The shift follows months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that allies must lift military budgets or risk losing American protection. Many capitals first brushed off the threat, but rising tension with Russia and checks on Europe’s readiness have changed the debate. More leaders now back the new bar, which is well above NATO’s current rule that each member spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote to alliance leaders this month, urging 3.5% of GDP on “hard military spending” and another 1.5% on areas such as infrastructure and cyber security within seven years. The letter set a clear path toward the larger figure now on the table. Monday’s statement is the first time the NATO chief has publicly embraced the full 5% figure. Rutte did not give a precise split but said traditional military programs would be “considerably north of 3%,” with the rest for transport, depots, and other support costs. NATO data show that 23 of the alliance’s 32 members are on track to hit the 2% line by this summer, a jump from only three nations when the rule was set in 2014 after Russia’s first move against Ukraine. None is yet at 5%. Poland leads at about 4.7% of GDP, while Lithuania and Latvia plan to reach…
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