Under the impression of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and following the explicit demands of US President Donald Trump, NATO adopted a decision to massively increase defense spending.
Each of the Alliance members is obligated to invest 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually in defense and security from 2035 onwards at the latest. This is stated in the final declaration adopted today at the NATO Summit in The Hague.
All countries will have to increase spending
So far, few NATO countries have fulfilled this condition. Germany has pledged to massively increase its defense and security infrastructure spending, including cyber defense, from 2029. Poland is among the countries that spend the most on defense. Bulgaria allocates 2.2% of GDP for the same purpose.
Expectations related to the United States
In exchange for the five percent pledge, allies expect Trump to leave no doubt that the United States will fulfill its commitment to provide assistance under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. It stipulates that each ally can count on the support of the others in the Alliance in the event of an attack, and that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.