U.S. and European leaders concluded a two-day NATO summit in the Netherlands with a joint declaration as member states of the military alliance committed to significantly higher defense spending amid ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The Hague Summit Declaration asks NATO members to raise their annual defense expenditure to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 – a strategic decision that is likely to be subject of debates in European countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been a vocal critic of NATO allies for their limited defense allocations, praised the commitment.
He has argued that Washington has been unfairly shouldering the expenditure burden for far too long and that the European allies must do a lot more to step up their share of defense spending.
At a Press Conference, he described NATO members’ new commitment as a “big win for America.
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The Hague Declaration by 32-member alliance consists of just five paragraphs, making it the shortest final document in the recent history of the alliance that has shown divisions on key strategic issues like defense budgets and backing Ukraine against Russia in the ongoing war.
President Trump has been making diplomatic efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war, and, in contrast with his processor Joe Biden, has had several telephonic conversations with President Vladimir Putin to find a solution to the conflict that has heightened strategic fears in Europe.
In a sign of transatlantic differences, the document avoided taking any definitive or detailed view of support for Ukraine.
The document stands out for its remarkably short text. Recent declarations like those that NATO issued after its 2024 Washington and 2023 Vilnius summits came out with 44 and 90 paragraphs respectively.
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European countries, which allocate significant finances to social welfare, have in recent years seen protests over an increase in military spending, igniting debate over defense policies and their balance vis-à-vis people-focused domestic projects.
For example, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez voiced his country’s opposition to the defense spending goal, terming it an “counterproductive” goal.
Trump criticized Sanchez’ position cautioning that that the country could might have to “pay twice as much” through trade measures. The United States and Spain are currently negotiating a trade deal.
“They want a little bit of a free ride, but they’ll have to pay it back to us on trade, because I’m not going to let that happen. It’s unfair,” the U.S. president said.
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Asim Tanveer is a seasoned journalist working for TV and electronic and print media outlets. He has been working for some of the world’s leading news organizations including Associated Press (AP), Reuters, BBC, CNN, CNBC, Star TV, Voice of America and The New York Times for more than 30 years. He has won several awards for his live coverage of events that include a Reuters News Agency World Award and the Pride of Performance award in 1997.
