Australia stands firm on defence budget amid Trump pressure

Australia will not raise its defence spending targets despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, choosing instead to follow its own military strategy, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters that the country would maintain its current defence budget path, focusing on national priorities rather than international pressure.

Marles' comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to push allies to spend more on defence, threatening those who resist with tougher trade policies. Trump recently criticized Spain for refusing to adopt NATO’s proposed 5% of GDP defence spending target and suggested punitive trade measures may follow.

Australia, which is not a NATO member, currently spends around 2% of GDP on defence and plans to increase this to 2.3% by 2033–2034. Marles emphasized that this decision reflects Australia’s own strategic assessments, not external demands.

“We have gone through our own process of assessing our strategic landscape... and what that has seen is the biggest peacetime increase in Australian defence spending,” he said.

Despite efforts by Canberra to secure a first face-to-face meeting between a senior Australian official and President Trump, Marles did not speak directly with the U.S. president or Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during the summit.

Australia is also in talks to gain exemptions from new U.S. tariffs, including a 50% levy on steel and aluminium, but officials have not indicated whether a breakthrough is likely.

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