Several NATO countries' leaders called the summit in The Hague historic already when they arrived on Wednesday morning.
We have laid the foundation for a stronger, more just and more deadly NATO, says NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
We see a new NATO being born, says Finland's President Alexander Stubb.
He points out that NATO is now returning to defense investments at Cold War levels.
This will create a quantum leap for our collective defense. This alliance is and will be ready, willing and able, says Rutte at his press conference after the agreement.
Divided
The new defense investment target is divided into two parts. At least 3.5 percent of GDP should be spent annually on purely military expenditures from 2035. An additional 1.5 percent should be spent on defense-related investments, such as civil defense, certain infrastructure and strengthening the defense industrial base.
The European defense industry today produces too little and too slowly to keep up with Russia's rearmament pace.
Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal pointed out when the summit started that Russia produces more ammunition in three months than what NATO countries do in a year.
The defense investment targets should also include support for Ukraine's defense.
Review awaits
NATO countries' leaders also agree that a review of the new targets should be made in 2029.
These are big things. I have asked them to go up to five percent for several years. They do it from 2 percent – several countries have not even managed that – and it's very big news, said US President Donald Trump before the meeting.
Prior to the summit, Trump once again created uncertainty about his view on NATO's defense guarantee in NATO's Article 5.
But in the unusually short declaration from the summit, it now states that the NATO leaders confirm their unwavering commitment to collective defense under NATO's Article 5.
”An attack on one is an attack on all”, it says in the declaration.
Supports Ukraine
As expected, nothing is mentioned about Ukraine's path into NATO in the declaration.
Instead, it states that the NATO leaders confirm their sustainable and independent commitments to provide support to Ukraine.
Regarding the defense investment target of five percent, the Nordic and Baltic countries would have preferred it to be reached already by 2030. Mark Rutte has himself warned that Russia may be ready to attack a NATO country in five years.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (The Moderate Party) thinks that 2030 is a more suitable target year. He points out, however, that not all NATO countries have the same conditions as Sweden to rearm.
We will have more of a hurry and make clearer and faster decisions than others, said Kristersson before the meeting.
