NATO defence ministers agreed on Thursday, the 5th of June to significantly increase air defence and ground forces to deter Russia, which is set to significantly increase military spending in the coming years, reports Politico.
Ministers approved a 30% increase in spending on military equipment, known as the capability target, ahead of a NATO summit in The Hague later this month
“Today was historic and the summit will be historic,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters after the meeting.
“We live in a different world, we live in a more dangerous world,” Rutte said, referencing concerns that Russia could be preparing to attack NATO.
“TODAY WE ARE SAFE, BUT IF WE DON’T [INCREASE SPENDING] WE WILL NOT BE SAFE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.”
For the first time since the Cold War, capability targets are linked to realistic regional defence plans. Although details are classified, Rutte said the main priorities are air and missile defence, large ground forces, long-range weapons and logistics.
At the 2023 Vilnius summit, NATO allies agreed on new regional defence plans to counter a possible Russian attack. Since then, military leaders have identified equipment, troop and training needs to implement these plans.
To meet the new capability targets, NATO leaders are expected to agree at the Hague summit to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP – 3.5% for military spending and 1.5% for related needs such as troop movements, Rutte said. Trump first proposed the 5% target several months ago, significantly higher than the current 2% target.
Spain, one of the last opponents, said on Thursday it would not veto the new target.
Further details remain to be worked out, including the deadline for reaching the threshold and defining what falls under the spending categories.
Rutte suggested that 5% should be reached by 2032, but the frontline countries think this is too late and want the target to be reached within five years.
Meanwhile, a 30% increase in military capabilities will be costly, especially as some countries have still not reached the 2021 targets. The Netherlands estimates that an additional 19 billion euros a year will be needed.
Most of the work needs to be done in the next 5-10 years, but the targets are set for 20 years and will be reviewed every four years, a senior NATO official said.
NATO summit for one man
Thursday’s meeting of defence ministers is a preparatory stage for the NATO summit in The Hague, where the alliance is preparing to welcome Donald Trump back to NATO.
The US President has repeatedly questioned Washington’s commitment to the military alliance. Doubts have been expressed in Europe as to whether the US will continue to fulfil its security commitments. But Trump’s appointment of Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich to lead US and NATO forces in Europe has calmed European concerns. The post had been held by an American since the alliance’s founding, but reports suggested that Trump was ready to hand it to a European, which could signal a US retreat.
Rutte also dismissed suggestions that NATO allies were pleasing Trump to avoid conflicts at the summit. “We are not doing this for one man, we are doing this to protect a billion people,” he told reporters.
The expected final statement of the Hague summit is likely to be very short to avoid upsetting Trump and it is not clear whether Ukraine will be mentioned at all. One NATO official said that the alliance is “on the brink of collapse” and that leaders will try to use as simple language as possible in order not to provoke Trump.