Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed confidence on Thursday that NATO allies will agree to President Donald Trump’s call for a sharp increase in defence spending, signalling a potential shift in transatlantic security priorities ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he is “confident” that NATO member states will commit to President Donald Trump’s proposed defence spending target of 5% of GDP, a significant jump from the alliance’s long-standing 2% benchmark.
Speaking in Brussels at a meeting of NATO defence ministers, Hegseth stressed the urgency of the commitment: “To be an alliance, you got to be more than flags. You got to be formations. You need to keep combat-ready capabilities.”
“We’re here to continue the work that President Trump started,” Hegseth said. “It has to happen by the summit at The Hague later this month.”
The upcoming NATO summit, scheduled for June 24–25, is now seen as a defining moment for the alliance’s strategic posture. Trump’s push for 5% spending has stirred debate but also prompted action, with several NATO diplomats acknowledging that European allies are prepared to make concessions to ensure the continued U.S. security commitment to the continent.
“The U.S. needs to see results, and 5% gives Trump a clear win he can show back home,” said one European diplomat.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has already put forward a compromise proposal: 3.5% of GDP for core defence spending, plus an additional 1.5% for broader security-related investment—ranging from cyber defence to critical infrastructure.
“A new defence investment plan will be at the heart of the NATO summit in The Hague,” Rutte told reporters, warning that the alliance must “go further and faster” in meeting modern security challenges.
But disagreement remains, particularly around the timeline and the definition of “security-related” spending.
Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius urged pragmatism, stating, “We have to find a realistic compromise between what is necessary and what is really possible to spend.”
While Rutte has proposed reaching the 5% goal by 2032, some eastern European states—especially those closer to Russia—say that is far too late.
“2032 is definitely too late,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said. “We need a 2030 target at the latest.”
Another sticking point is how to define “defence-related” spending. NATO diplomats are now working on crafting a definition that is both “precise enough to cover only real security-related investments” while being “broad enough to allow for national specifics.”
Negotiations over the plan are expected to continue until just before the summit. But Hegseth made clear that Washington expects results—not delays.
“We believe our allies are serious,” he said. “And this is the moment to prove it.”
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