The head of Nato piled pressure on Keir Starmer today as he suggested Europe and Canada should ‘equalise’ contributions with the US.
Secretary-general Mark Rutte warned that the current target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence is no longer sustainable after very public criticism from Donald Trump.
Members are expected to be asked to agree to commit 3.5 per cent by the 2030s at a summit later this month, with a further 1.5 per cent on defence-related measures.
And Mr Rutte said at a press conference in Brussels this morning that contributions need to be ‘equalised’ between the US and the 31 other states.
He did not elaborate on what he meant. America spent 3.4 per cent of GDP on defence last year, but its cash contributions are massively higher due to the scale of its economy.
According to the alliance’s figures, the US pumped $755billion into defence in 2024. In contrast, Europe and Canada spent just $430billion.
Sir Keir has committed to allocating 2.5 per cent of GDP to defence from April 2027, with an ‘ambition’ of increasing that to 3 per cent in the next parliament – likely to run to 2034.
However, he and the Defence Secretary have already come under pressure to explain how the 3 per cent target could be met.
Mr Rutte said today: ‘The expectation is that on the European side of Nato and the Canadian side of Nato, if we think that we can keep ourselves safe sticking with the 2 per cent, forget it.
‘Yes, the next three to five years, but then we are in great difficulty. And the US rightly expects us to spend much more to defend ourselves with their help, but also to equalise, which is only fair with what the US is spending on defence.’
Leaders from Nato will meet in The Hague later this month, and Mr Rutte said a new ‘investment plan’ will be ‘at the heart’ of the summit.
Defence Secretary John Healey said yesterday that the UK already ‘makes a huge contribution to Nato’ amid speculation about what the body will call for.
‘Britain already makes a huge contribution to Nato,’ he told reporters.
‘We’ve published a defence review that has Nato at its heart and I’m announcing today the new spending in this Parliament, £4 billion, doubling the amount that we’ll put into drones.
‘We’ll make a bigger contribution to Nato through that, and £1 billion over this Parliament to develop laser weapons, the first European nation in Nato to have laser weapons on our destroyers and then with our land forces.
‘This is Britain leading in Nato, contributing more to Nato, just as we do, for instance, with our nuclear deterrent, the only country with a nuclear deterrent that commits it in full to other Nato nations.’