NATO leaders agree to hike defense spending, soften tone on Russia

NATO leaders meeting in The Hague have agreed to support a plan to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP, with 3.5 percent earmarked for direct military use. The proposal, driven by US President Donald Trump, aims to counter growing military threats, particularly from Russia.During the summit, The Hague Summit Declaration was issued by the NATO Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in The Hague 25 June 2025. Allies agree that this 5% commitment will comprise two essential categories of defence investment. Allies will allocate at least 3.5% of GDP annually based on the agreed definition of NATO defence expenditure by 2035 to resource core defence requirements, and to meet the NATO Capability Targets. And Allies will account for up to 1.5% of GDP annually to inter alia protect our critical infrastructure, defend our networks, ensure our civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation, and strengthen our defence industrial base. 
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump’s leadership and said Europe must take more responsibility for its own defence. "This is about Europeans and Canadians paying more for defence, not American taxpayers," he said. Regarding the lack of language on Ukraine's membership in the summit declaration, Rutte said that NATO chose a concise format: "What we really want to do here is not to recall all the language, like the ‘irreversible path’ of the way (for Ukraine) into NATO. It's still there. Nothing changed, but really to focus on three core issues in five paragraphs."
The meeting also included discussions on Iran. Trump defended the recent US airstrikes, claiming they had destroyed Iran’s nuclear programme “for decades,” though US intelligence assessments suggest the delay may only last several months. Trump said further strikes would follow if Iran resumes uranium enrichment. On Gaza, Trump said ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas were progressing rapidly and credited the Iran strike with creating leverage. The summit comes amid fragile transatlantic relations. European leaders are seeking unity, especially after Trump returned to office with a more transactional view of NATO.The declaration also confirmed that next year’s NATO summit will be held in Türkiye, followed by Albania in 2027.