ANKARA, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stood firm Monday in calling on the alliance’s member nations to bring “clear, concrete and credible plans” to the table for meeting defense spending targets, ahead of the annual NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
All 32 member nations agreed last year to direct 5% of their gross domestic product toward defense-related expenditures — specifically, 3.5% toward actual defense budgets and another 1.5% toward infrastructure improvements such as roads, bridges, and ports that would allow troops and military equipment to move more efficiently during conflicts.
Not all members are fully on board. Spain accepted the overall goal but argued it could meet NATO’s security needs without committing that level of spending. Meanwhile, some nations are still falling short of the alliance’s previous, lower benchmark of 2% of GDP.
Rutte struck a more optimistic tone when discussing European allies and Canada, saying “the evidence we see so far is impressive.” He noted NATO projections show those nations will collectively spend $258 billion more on defense in 2025 and this year combined compared to prior years.
Even so, those figures may not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. allies for not spending enough on their own defense, and has previously threatened to withhold American military protection from nations he deemed to be falling short.
Rutte delivered his remarks in the Turkish capital just ahead of a two-day summit set to begin Tuesday — a gathering that carries added weight as the United States continues to scale back its security commitments in Europe.
