Hegseth pushes NATO to bump defence spending
President Trump connected Tuesday heads to Brussels for a whirlwind NATO acme astatine the Hague, Netherlands, hours aft helium announced that Iran and Israel had reached a ceasefire agreement.
The president hoped to unafraid during the acme a committedness from NATO allies to walk astatine slightest 5% of GDP connected defense. But a time earlier helium was to arrive, the confederation had already agreed to the boost successful defence spending, according to Matthew Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to NATO. He told reporters successful a briefing Monday that arsenic a effect of Mr. Trump's leadership, NATO was "on track" to marque that "historic commitment" of 5%.
The U.S. spent astir 3.4% of GDP connected defence successful 2023, but the president said helium thinks the U.S. should not person the aforesaid 5% target.
"We've been supporting NATO truthful long, successful galore cases, I believe, paying astir 100% of the cost," helium told reporters Friday. "So, I don't deliberation we should, but I deliberation that the NATO countries should, absolutely."
There is nary wide timeline for the 5% commitment, however, and reaching that threshold could widen into the 2030s for immoderate NATO countries, fueling disapproval that the 5% committedness could beryllium an bare one.
Aside from the struggle successful the Middle East, Russia's warfare connected Ukraine continues to beryllium a apical taxable of interest for NATO members. It is not yet wide whether the U.S. volition enactment connection citing Russia arsenic the main menace to NATO successful its communique — Whitaker avoided straight answering a reporter's question astir this.
"Negotiations regarding the communique are inactive underway, truthful I'm not going to beryllium capable to remark straight connected the circumstantial language," Whitaker said, adding, "I afloat expect that the acme connection volition beryllium direct, to the point, and bespeak the Allies' existent menace appraisal and the request for corporate defence and the idiosyncratic defence of each Allies."
He said that the U.S. is "calling for restraint and [urging] some parties to debar escalation," and helium went connected to accidental that the U.S. is "engaged astatine the highest levels" and backs nonstop talks betwixt Russia and Ukraine.
Shortly earlier the summit, connected Saturday, the U.S. carried retired strikes targeting three Iranian sites believed to beryllium cardinal to Iran's atomic program. The determination sparked fears of a wider war, but Iran's effect connected Monday was limited. Iran fired more than a twelve missiles astatine a U.S. basal successful Qatar, astir of which were intercepted, and nary injuries were reported, U.S. and Qatari officials said.
Mr. Trump called the retaliatory strikes "very weak," and helium said successful different societal media station that helium wanted "to convey Iran for giving america aboriginal notice, which made it imaginable for nary lives to beryllium lost." Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei besides pointed retired successful a societal media station aft the Iranian strikes, "We didn't harm anyone."
Within hours, Mr. Trump announced that Iran and Israel would instrumentality a ceasefire and soon bring the warfare to an end.
The NATO summit volition diagnostic a azygous two-and-a-half-hour session, alternatively of aggregate sessions. Mr. Trump besides plans to conscionable separately with respective satellite leaders connected the sidelines, a elder U.S. authoritative told reporters connected a league telephone Friday.
The president leaves for the acme aboriginal Tuesday greeting and returns Wednesday.
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is the largest defence confederation successful the world, with 32 members, including the U.S. It was formed successful the aftermath of World War II, and has grown since, with its latest additions being Finland successful 2023 and Sweden successful 2024. Helping Ukraine antagonistic Russia's aggression has been a apical precedence for NATO, though Ukraine isn't a NATO member.
Olivia Victoria Gazis contributed to this report.
Kathryn Watson is simply a authorities newsman for CBS News Digital, based successful Washington, D.C.
English (US) ·