US official: NATO member states to boost defence spending by June summit

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has expressed confidence that NATO member states will reach an agreement to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP by the upcoming alliance summit in The Hague, set for June 24–25.

Speaking upon his arrival at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Hegseth emphasised the continuation of efforts started under US President Donald Trump to secure a collective commitment from all alliance members, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“We’re here to continue the work that President Trump started, which is a commitment to 5% defence spending across this alliance, which we think will happen. It has to happen by the summit at The Hague later this month,” he said.

The NATO summit in The Hague will take place on June 24–25. It is expected that member countries will be urged to raise their defence spending target from the current 2 per cent to 5 per cent of GDP, as previously demanded by President Trump. However, there is no consensus among NATO members on increasing military expenditures. Raising defence budgets would likely force cuts to social programmes, risking domestic political instability and a widespread economic crisis.

By Naila Huseynova