“If we decide on the 5 percent target, then there’s no debate about who is spending or who isn’t—everyone has an obligation to spend,” said President Andrzej Duda in The Hague during the ongoing NATO summit, referring to defense expenditures.
The NATO summit is currently taking place in The Hague. Most member states are hoping to reach a consensus on increasing defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Polish President Andrzej Duda has repeatedly urged allies to support this goal.
Although all member states have endorsed the new spending threshold, Spain has indicated it does not plan to reach that level, arguing it is fulfilling its NATO commitments by spending 2.1 percent of its GDP on defense.
President Duda: No Room for Discussion
President Andrzej Duda is attending the summit in The Hague. In a media interview, he emphasized that increasing defense spending is crucial to fulfilling NATO’s defense plans.
He stated, “All signs indicate that we will achieve unity” on this issue. He also addressed objections from some allies—particularly Spain—regarding the proposed increase in defense spending.
He stressed that unity is one of NATO’s fundamental principles.
“If we decide on the 5 percent target, then there’s no debate about who is spending or who isn’t—everyone has an obligation to spend,”
the President said, referencing Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which commits allies to collective defense.
Trump: We’re With Them to the End!
Another key development is that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his support for Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty during a media interaction at the summit in The Hague. This article pertains to NATO’s mutual security guarantees.
When asked about the United States’ commitment in the event of an attack on a NATO member, Trump responded:
“We’re with them [our allies] to the end.” He added that “NATO will be strong.”
Under Article 5, an armed attack against one or more NATO members in Europe or North America is considered an attack against all NATO countries.