Fact Check: NATO Leaders Agreed to Increase Defense Spending to at Least 2% of GDP
What We Know
The claim that NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to at least 2% of GDP is misleading. Recent discussions among NATO leaders have indeed focused on increasing defense spending, but the specific agreement reached at the latest NATO summit in June 2025 was to commit to a target of 5% of GDP by 2035. This target was established following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long advocated for higher defense spending among NATO allies (source-1, source-2, source-3).
During the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that the commitment to increase spending was a significant step towards enhancing collective defense capabilities, stating that allies would need to invest billions to meet this new target (source-4, source-3).
Analysis
The assertion that NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to at least 2% of GDP is inaccurate because it misrepresents the actual agreement made at the summit. The commitment was to 5% of GDP by 2035, which is a significant increase from the previous guideline of 2% that many NATO countries had struggled to meet.
While it is true that some NATO members had previously committed to spending 2% of their GDP on defense, the new agreement represents a shift in expectations and goals. For instance, the statement from the NATO summit explicitly outlined that allies would invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements (source-4, source-6).
Furthermore, the reliability of the sources discussing this issue varies. The statements from NATO officials and reports from reputable news organizations like the Associated Press and BBC provide a clearer picture of the commitments made, while political statements from individual lawmakers may reflect bias or exaggeration regarding the implications of the agreement (source-1, source-4).
Conclusion
The claim that NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to at least 2% of GDP is False. The actual agreement reached was a commitment to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, marking a significant escalation in expectations for NATO members. This misrepresentation could lead to confusion about the commitments made by NATO allies and the ongoing discussions about defense spending within the alliance.
