The volatile US leader has demanded that alliance members boost defence budgets to five percent of their GDP at the June 24-25 meeting in the Netherlands.
Several diplomats say Rutte looks on track to secure the deal for the summit in The Hague as NATO grapples with the threat from Russia after more than three years of war in Ukraine.
“The reason I’m here is to make sure every country in NATO understands every shoulder has to be to the plough, every country has to contribute at that level of five percent,“ Hegseth said at a meeting with his NATO counterparts in Brussels.
Most vocal in its reluctance is Spain, which is only set to reach NATO’s current target of two percent of GDP by the end of this year.
But the deal appears an acceptable compromise to most, which will allow Trump to claim that he has achieved his headline demand, while in reality setting the bar lower for struggling European allies.
Germany needs more troops
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius estimated the new requirements meant Berlin would need to add “around 50,000 to 60,000” more soldiers to its army.
It is not just the fear of Moscow that is pushing Europe to ramp up its ambitions -- there is also uncertainty over the United States’ commitment to the continent.
Hegseth, a former TV presenter, rocked NATO on his last visit in February with a fiery warning that Washington could look to scale back its forces in Europe to focus on China.
Ukraine question
Trump’s return to the White House ripped up Washington’s support for Ukraine and upended the West’s approach to Russia’s three-year-long war.
Kyiv’s European allies are pressing to overcome US reluctance and invite Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to The Hague as a sign of support.
So far, NATO has said only that Ukraine will be represented at the gathering, and has not confirmed that Zelensky will be in attendance.
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