Nato praises ‘daddy’ Trump – and agrees to historic defence spending increase
(Front from L) Finland's President Alexander Stubb, Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, France's President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban stand with NATO country leaders for a family photo during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, on June 25, 2025. NATO leaders hold a two-day summit on June 24 and 25 in The Hague. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
Nato allies agreed to a historic increase in defence spending, aiming for 5 percent of GDP, with 3.5 percent on core Defence by 2035 and 1.5 percent on security and resilience.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer affirmed the Nato summit sent a "decisive message to aggressors" and announced Britain's Defence spending is projected to reach 4.1 percent of GDP by 2027.
Britain plans to acquire a dozen new nuclear-capable F-35A fighter jets, reintroducing a nuclear role for the Royal Air Force, and will provide 350 air Defence missiles to Kyiv.
The summit's communique identified Russia as a "long-term threat" but did not explicitly condemn its invasion of Ukraine, while Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to Nato's collective Defence.