The June NATO Summit in The Hague concluded as expected — member states agreed to significantly increase defence spending. And the increase is indeed substantial — up to 5% of GDP. It was the first high-level meeting for NATO’s new Secretary General, Mark Rutte, as well as for the returning U.S. President, Donald Trump. Both could count it as a success. In addition to the groundbreaking rise in defence budgets, the member states reaffirmed their commitment to collective defence. However, it is also increasingly clear that the interests of the United States and Europe are diverging more than ever before.

Key takeaways:

• The member states of the North Atlantic Alliance have agreed on a significant increase in defence spending. The commitment stands at 5% of GDP, to be allocated across two areas: the military and infrastructure with development.
• Despite previous statements and internal divisions within the Alliance, all leaders reaffirmed their commitment to collective defence.
• Ukraine didn’t gain much from the summit — no invitation was extended. However, member states pledged material and financial support. Views on the threat posed by Russia continue to vary.

Analysis –Irena Krcháková

The analysis is in PDF under the link below.