The newly elected US President Donald Trump has called on NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of its GDP. This is twice as much as the current target rate is 2%, and for most members of the Alliance, such an increase looks economically and politically unbearable. However, according to Reuters, the new requirements of the United States are planning to be announced at the NATO summit in the Hague in June 2025.
It is expected that some NATO members may agree to 3% of GDP, although even this level will be difficult to reach for many countries, including those who have only recently been able to fulfill the requirement of 2% of defense costs. Among the current levels, there is Italy, which consumes only 1.5%of GDP on defense, while Poland and Estonia have already approached 4%and the United States consumes 3.38%.
NATO's total costs in 2024 amounted to $ 1.474 trillion, of which $ 968 billion was spent and 507 billion was spent by European countries and Canada.
Some analysts suggest that Trump's offer for 5% can only be a starting position for negotiations, and in the end it will agree to a reduced figure, closer to 3%.
