NATO agrees massive spending hike, support to Ukraine

NATO members have agreed to raise their defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually by 2035, according to a declaration issued on Wednesday following the high-level summit in The Hague.

The five-paragraph statement outlined that the new spending target will be split between two key categories: 3.5 percent for core defense and 1.5 percent for related areas, including critical infrastructure, networks and defense industrial capabilities.

The plan will undergo a review in 2029, taking into account the strategic environment and revised capability targets, the document added.

U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the agreement at a press conference after the summit, asserting that Washington had long carried more than its fair share of the alliance's defense burden.

Taking credit for a "fantastic" outcome that "no one really thought possible," Trump described the spending hike as "a monumental win for the United States."

However, he singled out Spain, criticizing Madrid as the only country refusing to meet its full commitment.

Trump said the United States is negotiating a trade deal with Spain and warned that Madrid could be made to "pay twice as much" through trade measures.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said before the summit that it agreed with NATO to limit its military spending to 2.1 percent of GDP, and warned that "rushing toward 5 percent" would lead to rising prices and public spending, and reduce investment in key sectors such as education and digital development. 

In a reassuring move for European allies worried over the threat from Russia, Trump also signed off on a final leaders' declaration confirming "our ironclad commitment" to NATO's collective defense pledge that an attack on one is an attack on all.

The Trump administration also told Europeans that they must take over primary responsibility for their own security, rather than relying on the United States through NATO.

Speaking at the end of the summit, Secretary General Mark Rutte said Europeans would be responsible for more of the military aid to Ukraine. And the United States would still be "very much involved with intelligence-sharing, with also practical military support" including potentially air defense systems.

(With input from Xinhua, AFP) 

(Cover: The NATO Summit takes place this year in The Hague, Netherlands, where the NATO Public Forum and the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum are held, June 25, 2025. /VCG)