NATO Urges Higher Defense Spending as Trump Prepares to Return to Office

Secretary-General Mark Rutte calls for increased military budgets, crediting Trump’s past pressure for current improvements.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized that the alliance's current 2% GDP defense spending target is insufficient to maintain deterrence against threats such as Russia.
Rutte credited President-elect Donald Trump’s earlier criticisms of NATO members for spurring significant increases in European defense budgets since 2018.
NATO estimates that 23 out of 32 member nations will meet the 2% spending target this year, compared to only three nations in 2014.
Rutte and other NATO leaders are now advocating for members to exceed the 2% threshold, with some countries already committing to higher targets.
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed calls for stronger defense commitments, citing global instability and the need for rapid military readiness.