President Donald Trump departed for the NATO summit in The Hague on Tuesday with momentum on his side, as nearly every NATO ally—except Spain—agreed to a massive increase in defense spending following Trump’s push to end Europe’s reliance on U.S. military protection.
In private talks ahead of the summit, NATO members agreed to raise defense spending to 5% of their GDP, more than double the previous 2% target that many countries consistently failed to meet. The commitment includes 3.5% for direct military expenditures and 1.5% for defense-related infrastructure such as roads and bridges critical to troop movement.
Spain remains the lone holdout. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, defending his country’s bloated welfare programs, said Madrid would not increase military spending. Spain currently contributes just 1.28% of its GDP to defense—the lowest of any NATO member.
Trump’s firm stance earned praise from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who reportedly sent the president a message Tuesday morning ahead of his arrival: “You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening. It was not easy, but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent! You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.”
Trump reiterated that the U.S. does not need to meet the 5% threshold itself, citing America’s geographic separation from regional European threats and its existing military superiority. The president has long criticized European nations for depending on the U.S. military while failing to carry their own weight.
Rutte, who took over as NATO Secretary General in late 2024, has also defended the Trump administration’s military actions against Iran, stating that the U.S. strikes were justified and did not violate international law.
“This is a consistent position of NATO: Iran should not have its hands on a nuclear weapon,” Rutte told reporters. “I would not agree that this is against international law — what the U.S. did.”
President Trump is expected to meet with several world leaders during the summit, including a likely sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. While the original focus was meant to be the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump’s success in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran is now expected to dominate the agenda.
White House officials say the meetings will emphasize “shared concerns” and reaffirm strong U.S. ties with NATO partners—on Trump’s terms.