By Democrat reporters
Nato leaders on Wednesday backed a big increase in defence spending and restated their commitment to defend each other from attack after a brief summit tailor-made for US president Donald Trump.
In a short statement, Nato endorsed a higher defence spending goal of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035 – a response to a demand by Mr Trump and to Europeans’ fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all,” the statement said, after Mr Trump had sparked concern on Tuesday by saying there were “numerous definitions” of the clause.
But just before the summit opened, Mr Trump had said of fellow Nato members: “We’re with them all the way.
”We need our countries to step up their spending on defence to reduce Nato’s reliance on the US.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte acknowledged that it was not easy for European countries and Canada to find the extra money, but said it was vital to do so.
“There is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that, given this threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative,” the former Dutch prime minister told reporters in his home city of The Hague.