Members of the North Atlantic Alliance agreed to increase military spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035. This was stated in the declaration announced at the conclusion of the NATO summit held in The Hague.
According to the decision, at least 3.5 percent of the 5 percent will be directly allocated to defense, while the remaining 1.5 percent will be directed to infrastructure that can be used for military purposes — such as railways, ports, and bridges capable of bearing the weight of tanks.
Former US President Donald Trump supported this initiative, calling it a “major leap” compared to the 2 percent obligation set in 2014. Trump had previously been urging European allies to increase their military spending.
The document announced at the end of the summit reaffirmed NATO countries' commitment to Article 5 of the alliance. According to this article, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The document mentioned the Russian Federation as a "long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security." Terrorism was also mentioned as one of the main threats to the alliance.
