NATO members agreed Sunday to increase their national defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, a benchmark US President Donald Trump has long advocated for.
The deal comes after Spain had threatened to derail a NATO summit beginning Tuesday by blocking the measure, but Madrid dropped its opposition after securing an exemption.
Trump has demanded increased NATO spending for years, arguing Europe leans on Washington instead of funding its own defense; Trump recently suggested the US should be exempt from paying more.
Yet despite the new commitment and the backdrop of war in the Middle East and Ukraine, several countries, including Canada, France, and Italy, will likely struggle to meet the 5% target, experts said.
AD