NATO close to consensus on allocating five percent of GDP for defense

(Patria) - NATO members are close to a consensus on raising defense budgets to five percent of gross domestic product, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated today.

- I think we are very close to a consensus on five percent of GDP at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague - Hegseth stated at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he is participating in a meeting of defense ministers of member states.

The deadline by which defense spending should be increased is disputed.

- If we manage to reach five percent spending by 2030 or 2032, we will increase defense investments that were at their peak during the Cold War - said Swedish Minister of Defense Pal Jonson.

Of the five percent, 3.5 percent would be for purely military expenditures, and the remaining 1.5 percent for security-related costs in a broader sense, such as border protection, cybersecurity, and infrastructure to increase military mobility.

Currently, only Poland is close to five percent of defense spending, while some countries like Spain and Italy have not yet reached the goal of two percent of GDP, which was set back in 2014.

Spain, which announced that it will increase defense spending this year from last year's 1.3 percent to two percent of GDP, believes that this is quite sufficient, but announces that it will not block the setting of a new, significantly higher goal.

In NATO, all decisions are made by consensus, which means that even a single member can block a decision.

- We think that two percent is enough to fulfill the obligations we have undertaken - said Spanish Minister Margarita Robles, adding that her government will not block the decision to increase defense spending at the NATO summit in The Hague, which will be held on June 24 and 25.

According to diplomatic sources, new defense spending will be intended to address deficiencies in various areas - from large formations of ground forces ready for combat, to long-range weapons, air and missile defense, sufficient ammunition stockpiles, and secure communications.

German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said that his country will need between 50 and 60 thousand new soldiers to meet the new goals in military capabilities, and defense costs amounting to three percent of GDP would reach an amount of 125 billion euros annually.

In order for NATO to ensure the fulfillment of the goals for increasing military capabilities, member states will need to set their national goals.

According to diplomatic sources, existing military capabilities should be strengthened by about 30 percent. The EU is also working on a new package of sanctions against Russia.

- It is clear that Putin is still playing games and there are no indications that he wants peace. What we are doing on the European side is increasing pressure on the development of a new package of sanctions that truly hit Russian supply chains - said Kaja Kallas, EU representative for foreign affairs and security policy.