On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will be in London, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office. They’ll perform the invaluable service of pressing on the very hot topic of defense spending among NATO allies. This meeting comes on the heels of increased pressure from the U.S. They are calling for NATO members to pledge to spend 5 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense. This historic meeting with significant ramifications is, in theory, supposed to set capability targets before a planned leaders’ summit next year.
Mark Rutte emphasized the urgency of these discussions, stating that NATO must agree on the necessary investment in defense capabilities. Past pleas for more money laid the groundwork for these talks. The Trump Administration made a hard play while in office, personally pressuring NATO allies to raise their defense spending to meet expectations for a meaningful collective defense.
In a related political maneuver, Friedrich Merz is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump, heightening tensions in Berlin as Germany grapples with its own defense commitments. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV recently reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to take steps towards concluding the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to strain NATO solidarity.
NATO allies are expected to unanimously agree on dramatic additional investments in defense capabilities over the course of the meeting. Pete Hegseth remarked on the revitalization of NATO’s mission, indicating that it was previously “sleepwalking to irrelevance” but has been re-energized by Trump’s demands for greater financial contributions from member nations.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles pointed to Spain’s commitment to reach a 2% of GDP spending target. This development comes as debates heat up over how to achieve the 5% target. The UK is still a long way from achieving this dream, but Hegseth sounded very hopeful that the UK would come to achieve this one day. They’re going to get there… We think everybody’s going to get there. We really do,” he said.
NATO plans for all its member states to agree to a full-spectrum defense spending target of 5%. This includes 3.5% spending earmarked for hard military capabilities and 1.5% infrastructure and defense-related activities. Overwhelmingly supportive These ambitious countries, including France, Germany and the Baltic states, rush to embrace this goal. Along with them, the Nordic countries, Poland, Greece and Hungary have signed on as well.
This week’s negotiations will be especially important. That’s why global leaders – including French president Emmanuel Macron – are calling on Brazil, India and China to leverage their own relationships with Russia to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The intersection of these various international diplomatic tracks highlights the increased geopolitical stakes, both as opportunities and threats, in NATO’s future.
This was a point echoed by Keir Starmer’s spokesperson ahead of Monday’s crucial meeting. Or as one of their members put it, “Let’s take a second to appreciate the historic nature of what just happened in there. They pointed out that several countries are already well over 2% in defense spending. Beyond that, they found almost universal consensus on the need to strive for at least a 5% goal.
As NATO leaders welcome this increasing focus on military capabilities rather than more bureaucratic scrutiny, the stage is set for the upcoming NATO Messages to reinforce these principles. As Hegseth proclaimed at the time, we don’t need more flags on more fighting formations. Congressman Calvert reiterated the need for hard power and capabilities instead of more talks.