NATO is "very close" to reaching an agreement to increase its defense spending, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, upon his arrival at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. He will try to convince his European allies of the need to end their dependence on Washington, BTA reports.
"The reason I'm here is to make sure that all NATO countries understand that each country must contribute 5%", stressed Hegseth, who is a former journalist for "Fox News".
US President Donald Trump has asked his European allies and Canada to allocate at least 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending or risk losing their security.
Hegseth assured journalists that this goal is on track to be achieved.
"We think we are very close, very close to a consensus on a 5% commitment (before the NATO summit) in The Hague on June 24 and 25", he said after meeting with his colleagues in Brussels. "From France to Germany, the Baltics, the Nordics, Poland, Greece, Hungary and many others, the consensus is: 5% defense spending," he added.
He considers agreement on this issue very important at a time when Washington is insisting that Europeans take their security into their own hands.
"Our message remains clear. It is about deterrence and peace through strength, but not dependence. We cannot and will not depend on America in a world with many threats," the American minister warned.
Alarmed by the possible withdrawal of the Americans from their continent and facing the threat from Russia, Europeans have declared their readiness to increase their defense spending. But not all are equally determined.
"There are several countries that are still not doing enough. I will not mention who they are, because we do not do that among friends in this room. We will make them" achieve the target, Hegseth assured.
Several NATO countries, including Spain, Belgium and Italy, are currently trying to meet the 2% target set more than 10 years ago at another alliance summit. Less sensitive to the Russian threat, they are reluctant to commit to such high defense spending, AFP notes.
To ensure the success of the summit in The Hague, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte proposed 5% of spending, but in the form of two types of spending. He proposed increasing defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2032 and at the same time increasing security-related spending to 1.5% of GDP - in the broad sense of the term - such as border protection, military mobility and cybersecurity.
This target seems more achievable given the dual civilian and military spending already undertaken or planned by countries.
The 3.5% target, on the other hand, is sufficient to finance capabilities that will be essential for NATO's defense over the next few years, at a time when Russia is constantly upgrading its armed forces.