President Donald Trump said he is pleased that NATO countries agreed to increase their defense spending.
"The NATO Summit yesterday was GREAT, the most unified and productive in history," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. "A wonderful day with incredible and caring Leaders. The Agreed to 5% gives NATO real power!"
The 32 NATO members endorsed a plan to massively ramp up defense spending, from 2% of gross domestic spending to 5% by 2035.
The increase in spending was driven by Trump, who said European countries should spend more on defense.
Under the proposed agreement, 3.5% of each member nation's GDP will be dedicated to military expenditures, with the remaining 1.5% allocated for other defense-related efforts.
NATO says the military build-up is crucial to deter Russia, which officials warn is rapidly rebuilding its forces depleted by the war in Ukraine and could be ready to attack the alliance in five years.
Russia has been blamed for a major rise in sabotage, cyberattacks, and GPS jamming incidents. European leaders are girding their citizens for the possibility of more.
Germany announced plans to hit the 3.5% figure for core defense needs by 2029 — six years before the timeline.
Information from The Associated Press and AFP was used in this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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