On January 7, two weeks before his return to the White House, Donald Trump stunned Europeans. Not only did the American president threaten to seize Greenland – even by force – but he also demanded that the countries of Western Europe and Canada devote 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defense. At the time, the demand seemed completely far-fetched and unattainable. Six months later, the 31 United States allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were now prepared to offer Trump a diplomatic win.

At the most recent meeting of defense ministers on Thursday, June 5, in Brussels, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the allies were "very close" to an agreement to announce at the NATO summit in The Hague, scheduled for June 24 and 25. The new ambition of the allies is to devote 5% of their national wealth to defense. Currently, only two-thirds of the allies dedicate at least 2% of their GDP to this sector, a goal that was set in 2014.

Although the timeline to reach this target – which represents more than €1 trillion in additional spending for all the allies – was still under discussion, with estimates ranging from five to 10 years, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte justified this unprecedented effort by stating, "We live in a dangerous world," citing not only Russia, which continued to bomb Ukraine, but also China and the threat of terrorism.

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