STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Monday that NATO members are in talks to establish a new spending target for civil defense and aid to Ukraine, in addition to existing military budget objectives. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many NATO countries have ramped up their military expenditures, with pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to reach a 5% of GDP defense spending target, surpassing the current 2% goal.
Kristersson revealed that discussions at a NATO summit in The Hague this coming June may result in a defense spending target exceeding 3% of GDP, alongside a separate target for broader security-related spending. He highlighted the prospect of introducing a new target around 3.5% for defense spending, with an additional 1.5% allocated for civil defense, support for Ukraine, and other related areas beyond immediate military defense needs.
While 23 of NATO’s 32 members met or exceeded the 2% benchmark last year according to NATO estimates, some major European economies like Italy and Spain fell short at around 1.5% and 1.3% respectively. Sweden, which joined NATO as its 32nd member in March last year, is keen on upholding the alliance’s decisions, as noted by Kristersson.
A European diplomat remarked that discussions on spending targets for the Hague summit are in their early stages, with indications suggesting that meeting new military capability objectives set by NATO would entail spending roughly 3.5% of GDP. The diplomat, speaking anonymously, suggested that achieving Trump’s 5% target would necessitate additional measures such as enhancing resilience and military mobility.
