NATO countries on track to increase defense budgets
Under pressure from the US, NATO countries are aiming to increase defense spending to 5 percent. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that this decision was made under the influence of Trump.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that NATO countries are aiming to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product over the next decade. The decision is expected to be formalized ahead of the NATO summit to be held next month.
Rubio stated that this development is a result of US President Donald Trump's pressure on NATO. During his 2024 election campaign, Trump had argued that NATO members were not increasing their defense spending sufficiently and that this situation put the US at a disadvantage. He also suggested that countries that do not increase their defense budgets could become vulnerable to Russian influence.
PRAISE FOR TRUMP FROM RUBIO
In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Rubio stated that Trump's stance at the 2018 NATO summit was a turning point. Emphasizing that there has been a significant increase in defense spending by NATO members since that day, Rubio said that many countries have exceeded the 4 percent level and plan to reach the 5 percent target within the next decade.
Stating that six weeks before the NATO summit, the vast majority of members have exceeded the 2 percent target, Rubio expressed that these developments are a positive step for the future of the alliance.