 "Nato pledges 5% GDP defence spending by 2035, reaffirms support for Ukraine")
Nato leaders have formally committed to investing 5% of their annual GDP on defence and security-related spending by 2035, according to The Guardian report, citing the final declaration adopted at the alliance’s summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
The document states that all member countries will submit annual plans demonstrating “a credible, incremental path to reach this goal,” with a comprehensive progress review scheduled for 2029, added the report.
The five-point declaration reaffirms Nato’s “ironclad commitment” to collective defence, referencing Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which holds that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Asked to clarify his own stance on Article 5, Reuters quoted Trump as saying, “I stand with it. That’s why I’m here. If I didn’t stand with it, I wouldn’t be here.”
The text also pledges continued support for Ukraine, noting that “Ukraine’s security contributes to ours.”
While it stops short of directly condemning Russia, it includes a separate reference to “the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.”
Here is the Hague Summit Declaration in full:
1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance, have gathered in The Hague to reaffirm our commitment to NATO, the strongest Alliance in history, and to the transatlantic bond. 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. We remain united and steadfast in our resolve to protect our one billion citizens, defend the Alliance, and safeguard our freedom and democracy.
2. United in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security and the persistent threat of terrorism, Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence-and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations, in accordance with Article 3 of the Washington Treaty. Our investments will ensure we have the forces, capabilities, resources, infrastructure, warfighting readiness, and resilience needed to deter and defend in line with our three core tasks of deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts3. Allies agree that this 5% commitment will comprise two essential categories of defence investment. Allies will allocate at least 3.5% of GDP annually based on the agreed definition of NATO defence expenditure by 2035 to resource core defence requirements, and to meet the NATO Capability Targets. Allies agree to submit annual plans showing a credible, incremental path to reach this goal. And Allies will account for up to 1.5% of GDP annually to inter alia protect our critical infrastructure, defend our networks, ensure our civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation, and strengthen our defence industrial base. The trajectory and balance of spending under this plan will be reviewed in 2029, in light of the strategic environment and updated Capability Targets. Allies reaffirm their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, and, to this end, will include direct contributions towards Ukraine’s defence and its defence industry when calculating Allies’ defence spending.
4. We reaffirm our shared commitment to rapidly expand transatlantic defence industrial cooperation and to harness emerging technology and the spirit of innovation to advance our collective security. We will work to eliminate defence trade barriers among Allies and will leverage our partnerships to promote defence industrial cooperation.
5. We express our appreciation for the generous hospitality extended to us by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. We look forward to our next meeting in Türkiye in 2026 followed by a meeting in Albania.
With inputs from agencies
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