UK PM open to NATO’s 3.5% defence goal as alliance eyes 2032 deadline

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated his support for a proposed NATO target requiring member states to allocate 3.5% of their gross domestic product to core defence spending, although he noted that the final details, particularly the timeline, are still under negotiation.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg News on June 13 at Downing Street, Starmer said, “Obviously, the precise wording that will be agreed at NATO is still a matter of some negotiation.” He emphasised his commitment to ensuring that the upcoming summit “will be a huge success and an opportunity to show the strength together that we have as NATO allies, but also to send a very clear message to our adversaries.”

When asked to commit to a deadline for meeting the spending goal, Starmer said discussions were ongoing regarding “what the wording and what the commitment will be.” However, he affirmed his support for the alliance, saying, “I have advanced the proposition about the importance of NATO.”

His remarks mark the strongest indication yet that the UK may back NATO’s latest effort to meet demands from US President Donald Trump for greater European military expenditure. The proposed 3.5% defence spending benchmark represents a notable increase over Starmer’s own target, announced earlier this year, of 3%.

The proposed spending framework is part of a broader plan being discussed ahead of NATO’s annual summit in The Hague on June 24–25. Under the current draft, the alliance would adopt an overall target of 5% of GDP on defence-related spending, including 3.5% for core military expenditure and an additional 1.5% for related sectors such as cybersecurity. The plan was introduced by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who met with Starmer earlier this week in London.

During the interview, Starmer argued that the UK already plays a significant role in NATO, including by contributing its nuclear deterrent to the alliance’s collective defence. His comments implied that Britain might seek acknowledgement of its strategic assets when calculating its contribution toward the spending goal.

The timeline for reaching the 5% target remains a key point of contention. Rutte has proposed a deadline of 2032, but some NATO members are pushing for either a shorter or longer timeframe. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy would require up to a decade to meet the goal. Conversely, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen argued that 2032 is “too late” and advocated for an accelerated timeline.

Starmer acknowledged that Europe has faced criticism for not contributing enough to NATO’s defence burden. “I think that’s right,” he said. “So I’ve said to European allies, we need to do more on spending, on capability and cooperation.”

By Tamilla Hasanova