U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated on the 5th that NATO is expected to reach an agreement to increase defense spending later this month before the upcoming NATO summit, in order to meet U.S. President Trump's demands.
Trump is pressuring NATO member countries to agree at the meeting held on June 24-25 in the Netherlands to increase their defense budget target from the current 2% of each nation's GDP to 5%.
Hegseth, after meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels, said NATO countries' defense spending as a percentage of GDP is already far above 2%, and at the Hague summit later this month, the commitment to 5% is "we believe very close, almost consensus."
NATO Secretary-General Rutte proposed a compromise plan, advocating allocating 3.5% of GDP to core military spending by 2032, with an additional 1.5% for broader security-related areas, such as infrastructure.
Hegseth said: "We believe NATO will commit to reaching 5% within a few weeks, with 3.5% for military strength and 1.5% for infrastructure and defense-related activities. This combination constitutes a genuine commitment, and we believe every country can make more efforts."