NATO Summit Opens... Agreement Reached on '5% of GDP' Defense Spending

Dinner on the 24th, Main Session on the 25th... Trump Expected to Attend
Agreement on Increased Defense Spending Faces Hurdles as Spain and Others Voice Dissent

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit opens on the 24th (local time). This meeting marks the first time that the leaders of all 32 member states are gathering together since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.

National leaders will begin arriving in The Hague, Netherlands as early as the morning of the same day. The summit will officially commence with a welcome dinner at 7 p.m. at the residence of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, followed by the main session of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on the morning of the 25th.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit opens on the 24th (local time) in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

While previous NATO summits typically held two to three NAC sessions, this year the schedule has been significantly shortened. This decision was made in consideration of President Trump's preference for fewer multilateral and lengthy meetings.

President Trump is scheduled to depart on the morning of the 24th (U.S. Eastern Time). Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are also expected to accompany him. Since the departure is delayed by a day compared to the original schedule, there are predictions that President Trump may not be able to attend the dinner.

Member states are expected to agree at this summit to a plan to spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2035. This consists of 3.5% for direct military expenditure and 1.5% for indirect security costs.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated at a pre-summit press conference the previous day that this plan to increase defense spending would be a "quantum leap." Currently, 22 out of 32 NATO member states spend 2% of their GDP on direct military expenses.

The "5% of GDP" target is a defense spending requirement that President Trump has demanded from NATO allies. Since last year's presidential campaign, President Trump has insisted that Europe should take responsibility for its own security and has called for increased defense spending from NATO allies. The previous day, Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, stated that the review of overseas U.S. military posture would be completed between late summer and fall, suggesting that, along with increased defense spending, a reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Europe is likely.

However, there are predictions that even if an agreement is reached, actual implementation will not be easy. On the 19th, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent a letter to Secretary General Rutte stating that the "5% target" is unreasonable. As of last year, Spain's defense spending was 1.24% of GDP. While not as vocal as Spain, other countries such as Slovakia and Belgium have also called for greater flexibility.

The most pressing issue ahead of the NATO summit, the military conflict between Israel and Iran, has eased. On this day, President Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that "a complete agreement has been reached for a full and comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and Iran." In an interview with NBC, he also said that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran had been achieved through his mediation and that it would last forever.

However, due to recent developments in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war appears to have been pushed to the background as a major NATO agenda item. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to attend the dinner on the 24th, but it remains uncertain whether a bilateral meeting with President Trump will take place. The Washington Post reported that, as President Trump is demanding increased defense spending, it is unclear what role Ukraine will play at this summit.

Meanwhile, ahead of the NATO summit, countries have moved to strengthen security alliances. The previous day, the United Kingdom and Ukraine agreed to jointly produce defense industry goods, and the European Union and Canada announced the signing of a security and defense partnership.