After months of pressure from Donald Trump, NATO leaders have decided to increase defense expenditure to 5% of their nations’ GDP by 2035.
A “big win for Europe and… Western civilisation” was how the US president characterized the decision made during a summit in The Hague.
Members emphasized the “long-term threat posed by Russia” and terrorism in a unified statement, stating that they were united against “profound” security problems.
NATO leaders reiterated their “ironclad commitment” to the idea that if one member of the alliance was attacked, the entire alliance would retaliate.
However, unlike a year ago, the declaration did not denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
