Another Trump win.
NATO leaders on Wednesday backed a landmark pledge to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035—a major diplomatic win for President Donald Trump, who has long blasted “freeloading” allies for failing to pay their share.
According to Reuters, nearly every NATO member endorsed the agreement, with the exception of Spain and possibly Slovakia. A formal signing is expected before the summit wraps.
The new defense spending goal more than doubles NATO’s current 2% target.
“There is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that, given this threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters.
Rutte also praised Trump for strengthening NATO.
“I mean, would you EVER think that this would be the result of this summit if he would not have been reelected president? Do you really think that 7 or 8 countries who said, somewhere in the 2030s we might meet the 2%? We’ve now ALL decided in the last 4 or 5 months to get to 2% [defense spending],” Rutte said.
“So, doesn’t he deserve some praise?” “And when it comes to Iran? The fact that he took this decisive action, very targeted, to make sure that Iran would not be able to get their hands on a nuclear capability. I think he deserves ALL the praise!” Rutte added.
Watch the clip below:
🚨 JUST IN: The Secretary General of NATO gave President Trump a HUGE praise and said the countries should be THANKING him for strengthening NATO.
"I mean, would you EVER think that this would be the result of this summit if he would not have been reelected president?"
"Do you… pic.twitter.com/BYgZmi03Br
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 25, 2025
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, whose country borders Russia, described the shift as “the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO and a NATO which has more European responsibility.”
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