Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, said on Monday, May 26, that the Alliance Member States will be expected to arrive next month, at the Hague Summit, to an agreement on an expense for 5% of GDP.
Mark Rutte/Photo: Profimedia
“I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defense expense objective, 5% in total“, Rutte said at a meeting of the NATO parliamentary meeting held in Dayton, USA, according to Reuters.
Rutte said that this objective will not be divided into categories, but that a significant part of these expenses, “much over 3%“, Will go to the strictly military defense. The rest will cover related fields, such as infrastructure, cyber security or other components relevant to security.
“Let's say that this 5% – without going into details on exact distribution – will mean, however, much over 3% when we talk about direct defense expenses, and will also include an objective related to other defense expenses.“Rutte added.
The allies are to meet at the annual summit in The Hague on June 24-25, against the background of increasing uncertainties related to the United States commitment to US President Donald Trump.
The event will target military support for Ukraine, so that the country is prepared for both defense and possible sustainable peace, the Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte.
“As for Ukraine, it will be an important topic of the Hague Summit. We must make sure that Ukraine, as long as the fight continues, receives all the collective support possible to be in the best possible position to go further.”Rutte said.
