BRUSSELS: US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that Nato allies were close to a deal on spending ahead of a summit later this month, in a bid to satisfy US President Donald Trump’s demand that it reach five percent of GDP.

Trump is pressuring alliance members to announce a massive boost in the target for their military budgets at the June 24-25 summit in the Netherlands.

“Countries in there are well exceeding two percent and we think very close, almost near consensus, on a five percent commitment for Nato in The Hague later this month,” Hegseth said after meeting his Nato counterparts in Brussels.

Nato chief Mark Rutte has put forward a compromise agreement of 3.5pc of GDP on core military spending by 2032, and 1.5pc on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure.

“This alliance, we believe, in a matter of weeks, will be committing to five percent — 3.5pc in hard military and 1.5pc in infrastructure and defence-related activities,” Hegseth said.

“That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up.” The threat from Russia after more than three years of war in Ukraine and worries about US commitment to Europe’s security under Trump are driving up military budgets in Europe.

Multiple diplomats say Rutte appears on track to secure the deal for the summit in The Hague, though a few allies are still hesitant about committing to such levels of spending. “I have total confidence we will get there,” Rutte said after the meeting.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2025