The United States remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasizing the importance of European allies increasing their defense spending. In a press conference in Brussels, Rubio dismissed concerns about the US engagement in the NATO as hysteria, stating that Washington remains actively involved in the alliance, as it has been. He also clarified that US President Donald Trump’s concerns are not about the NATO itself, but rather about individual countries failing to fulfill their commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty.
Rubio reiterated the US appeal for all NATO member states, including the US, to increase their defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product. He acknowledged that no one expects European countries to achieve this goal in a year or two, but emphasized the need for a genuine and sustained effort towards this goal.
Currently, none of the NATO member states have reached the 5% target. In 2014, the alliance set a 2% target, which was expected to be achieved over the next decade. As of 2024, 23 of the 32 member states had met the 2% goal, with major European economies such as Italy and Spain still allocating less than 2% of their GDP to defense. The US, on the other hand, invests around 3.4% of its GDP in its military budget, while Poland contributes the largest percentage, at 4%, relative to its GDP.