US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that all NATO member states are expected to commit to a new long-term defence spending goal of 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) by the NATO Summit scheduled for June 2025.
He made the statement during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Thursday.
Rubio said the alliance is witnessing a significant shift in military investment priorities, with nearly all member nations either meeting or exceeding the existing 2% benchmark set by NATO. “Virtually every member of NATO will be at or above 2%, but more importantly, many of them will be over 4%, and all will have agreed on the goal of reaching 5% over the next decade,” he stated.
The proposed increase follows ongoing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised NATO members for not spending enough on collective defence. During his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump pushed for reduced US contributions, arguing that other nations were not pulling their weight.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul recently expressed support for Trump’s call, confirming that Germany backs the 5% GDP target. In January, Germany reported that it had already met NATO’s 2% spending requirement for 2024.
The upcoming NATO Summit is set to take place in the Netherlands from 24–25 June, where defence budgets and alliance-wide security commitments are expected to dominate the agenda.
Melissa Enoch
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