3 months ago 25

NATO’s Spending Reality Check: 5% is a Long Shot

NATO members won’t be able to meet US president-elect Donald Trump’s demand to raise military spending to 5% of GDP in the near future, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said.

Montenegro told the Lusa news agency that Portugal is focused on reaching a target of 2% of GDP for defense spending before even considering a higher percentage.

“The government anticipated hitting 2% by 2029, and we’re firmly committed to that goal,” he said. “We may need to reassess it when necessary.”

He also criticized European leaders’ comments on statements by the incoming US president.

“I think it’s pointless for European leaders to constantly respond to every remark by the president-elect of the United States,” Montenegro said.

US servicemen during the Rapid Trident/Saber Guardian 2015 military exercises at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre base outside Lviv, Ukraine, Friday, July 24, 2015. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.01.2025

Analysis

NATO Instructors: All Talk, No Frontline Walk

Yesterday, 12:20 GMT

Trump previously announced his intention to push NATO members to increase military budgets to 5% of GDP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already rejected this demand, and Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz suggested that it might take a decade for NATO-member states to achieve it.