According to Xinhua, the statement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) Summit in The Hague on June 25 (local time) stated that the new spending target will be divided into two main items: 3.5% for core defense and 1.5% for related sectors, including critical infrastructure, networks and defense industry capacity.
The defense spending plan will be reviewed by NATO in 2029, taking into account the strategic environment and revised capacity targets.
In a press conference after the summit, US President Donald Trump praised the deal, saying that Washington has long carried more of its defense spending in the alliance.
He criticized Spain as the only country that refused to fully implement its commitments. The US president noted that he is negotiating a trade deal with Spain and Madrid could have to " doubly pay" through trade measures.
Spain has agreed with NATO to limit military spending to 2.1% of GDP, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez informed on June 22, ahead of the NATO summit. He stressed that " disharmony in NATO is normal and inevitable" in the context of economic diversity among allies.
