NATO urges members to submit plans to meet their defense spending targets NATO news

The US warns of the consequences of NATO members without clear plans for spending money, showing high expectations from allies.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on NATO allies to develop “clear, transparent and credible policies” to meet the alliance’s spending targets at its annual meeting in Ankara, Turkey.

Rutte will speak in Ankara on Monday ahead of a two-day summit starting on Tuesday. It comes at a critical time for the alliance, as the United States is reducing its defense role in Europe. Washington has been pressing its allies to deal with spending problems.

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The 32 NATO countries agreed last year to spend five percent of their gross domestic product on defense – 3.5 percent on their defense budget and 1.5 percent on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move quickly in times of war.

Spain accepted the goal but said it could meet NATO’s security requirements without spending too much. Some countries are still struggling to meet the agreement’s previous goal of two percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

“If one or two have to be determined, we have the means to do that,” Rutte said, when asked what would happen to allies who don’t have a clear plan. He did not elaborate.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said last week that the United States has something in place for those who don’t go up, but declined to say what that might be.

“(US) President (Donald) Trump is hoping that all of his allies will immediately go up to 5 percent and do it quickly,” Whitaker said.

Regarding the investment by European and Canadian institutions, Rutte said that “the evidence we see so far is impressive”. He also said that NATO estimates that it will invest $258bn more in defense in 2025 and this year than it did in previous years.

But those numbers may not be enough to convince the Trump administration.

Amsterdam has announced a multi-billion dollar deal

Separately on Monday, the Netherlands said it would announce a defense plan of more than 3 billion ($3.43 billion) in Ankara on Tuesday, Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgoz told Reuters.

In an interview in the Turkish capital, Yesilgoz said the announcements will include cooperation with Belgium on aviation security and with Britain on naval vessels. He also said that the Netherlands also wants to participate in many projects together with Germany.

“We have several plans with the countries around us, within NATO,” Yesilgoz said. “For the Netherlands, it will be … more than 3 billion euros that we will have new – not only promises, but also sustainable plans.”

Yesilgoz did not provide details before the official announcements, which are planned as part of a storm of announcements by NATO members at the summit to show that they are spending more on defense, as the US has requested.

Trump wants ‘loyalty’

The US president has repeatedly criticized Washington’s allies in the use of defense, and in the past has threatened not to support any NATO member who does not do enough.

Trump has called for “loyalty” from NATO allies, after some refused to allow the use of their bases in the US-Israel war in Iran.

“We need our NATO partners to step up and take leadership roles, and I mean not just in loud voices but in moral strength and in a culture of cooperation,” US Ambassador Whitaker said last week.

Asked if he was confident that the US would continue to participate in NATO despite Trump’s announcement that he would not commit to the alliance, Dutch Defense Minister Yesilgoz said: “I have to be confident, because I know we need each other.”