Oleg Davygora21:24, 10.01.25

Analysts believe that such costs would be both politically and economically unaffordable for almost all members of the Alliance.

NATO is not listening to US President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to significantly increase defense spending, Reuters reports .

The agency’s material states that NATO agrees with the need to increase defense spending, but disagrees with the 5% figure. Analysts believe that such spending would be both politically and economically unattainable for almost all Alliance members.

“I don’t think it will be 5%, which is practically impossible for most countries right now, but it will be more than the 2% that we are already aiming to achieve,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview with the agency.

However, a new target is likely to be adopted at the NATO summit in The Hague in June, driven by concerns about a potential Russian invasion of a NATO country. According to 2024 figures, Poland spends the most on defense – 4.12% of GDP, Estonia – 3.43% and the United States – 3.38% of GDP.

Trump’s statements about NATO

Trump previously said that Russia had been saying long before Vladimir Putin came to power that Ukraine would never be a member of NATO . According to the Republican, current US President Joe Biden advocated for Ukraine to have the opportunity to join the Alliance. And therefore, Trump noted, he understands the feelings of the Russians.

(C)UNIAN 2025