Following the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meets in The Hague, the Netherlands, to discuss the increase in national defense spending, the tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine, leaders of the European Union meet in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday (26) to also talk about the rise in the military war and the Tariff War on the states. United.
At NATO meeting, Secretary-General Mark Rutte and United States President Donald Trump defended the proposal to raise from 2% to up to 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each country the value that nations will pay in defense. This number is higher than Americans themselves spend: 3.4% of GDP.
Some European countries resist the idea, especially Spain. In 2024, the Spaniards were the least disbursed members in defense, about 1.28%, and said they will not be able to meet the goal of 5%. According to most leaders, this rise is necessary due to increased risks of a more widespread war due to the invasion of Russia to the Ukrainian territory.
