NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP over next decade, says Rubio

All NATO members will have agreed on a goal of spending the equivalent to 5% of GDP on defense over the next decade, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

“I can tell you that we are headed for a summit in six weeks, in which virtually every member of NATO will be at or above 2%, but more importantly, many of them will be over 4%, and all will have agreed on the goal of reaching 5% over the next decade,” Rubio told Fox News.

Earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke out against setting defense spending at 5% of GDP. He believes that the final figure could be 3% or more.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly reiterated his intention in recent months to push NATO member states to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.