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Trump repeats that NATO members should spend 5 percent of GDP on defense

Published: 21 Jun. 2025, 10:58

Military tanks cross a bridge in Gyeonggi in a joint defense drill between South Korea and the United States in March. [NEWS1]

U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that NATO member states should spend five percent of GDP on defense while saying the United States should not.

Trump is preparing to attend a NATO summit in The Hague next week where the defense spending target is expected to feature prominently.

"I don't think we should, but I think they should," he said in response to a question about the defense spending target that he'd proposed.

"We've been supporting NATO so long. In many cases, I believe ... almost paying 100 percent of the cost. So I don't think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely," he added.

The United States spent about 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense last year.

Asked about Spain's stance against the target, Trump said that NATO will have to deal with the country.

"Spain has been a very low payer," he said. "They were either good negotiators or they weren't doing the right thing. I mean, I think Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay. Spain has been notorious for low pay."

Spain has reportedly rejected the defense spending proposal, calling for a more "flexible" approach.

On Thursday, the Pentagon said that European allies are setting the "global standard" for Asian allies, which is spending 5 percent of GDP on defense.

Korea's defense budget this year stands at around 61.2 trillion won ($44.6 billion), which is about 2.32 percent of its GDP, according to Seoul's Ministry of National Defense.

Yonhap