Sweden would like NATO to achieve the goal of 5% of member countries' GDP on defense spending by 2030, Swedish Defense Minister Poul Jönsson said today, ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds, for his part, indicated that achieving the 5% goal is absolutely imperative.
I want to make sure that every NATO country understands the need for common efforts and contributes 5 percent of GDP to the activities of the alliance, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today before the start of a meeting of his colleagues at the alliance headquarters in Brussels.
US President Donald Trump restored NATO in his first term, demanded more defense spending and now we see even higher goals, he added. We need a hard power to deter. We cannot rely on US capabilities alone in a world with so many threats. We have difficult but necessary costs ahead, Hegseth summarized.
Allies will today discuss new goals for acquiring additional capabilities and the associated costs. Decisions on these issues are expected to be approved at the NATO summit in The Hague on 24 and 25 June.