US National Security Advisor: NATO Members Should Increase Their Contributions to 5 Percent

The National Security Advisor of the United States stated that Donald Trump wants America's allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to increase their two percent contribution of GDP for self-defense to five percent. Mike Waltz remarked that Trump is "absolutely right" to demand an increase in NATO members' contributions for defense investment. He added, "Now is the time for Europe to demonstrate its commitment to the alliance with America by increasing costs to 5 percent of GDP." Mr. Waltz stated on Saturday, February 1, in an interview with the New York Post that the US will continue to have frank discussions to encourage NATO members to increase their share of this responsibility. Referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine, he reminded that Europe is engaged in the largest conflict since World War II. Currently, the US allocates just over three percent of its GDP to NATO, and if this amount is raised to 5 percent, an additional $600 billion would need to be allocated to such a commitment. NATO was established in 1949, four years after the end of World War II. 23 of the 32 member countries of this alliance are EU members. Eleven years ago, after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and the Middle East experienced further unrest, NATO member countries agreed to allocate 2 percent of their GDP to defense spending within the alliance. Mike Waltz wrote on Sunday, February 2, in a message on X that only half of NATO members have adhered to this minimum commitment. Eight members still have not paid their committed 2 percent share, totaling over $42 billion. Richard Grenell, the US President's special envoy, also told the New York Post that weakening NATO by failing to pay a fair share of commitments to this organization is dangerous. In the 13 days since returning to power in the White House, Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he will force NATO members to increase their contributions to 5 percent. Last week, he stated in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that NATO countries must increase their contributions. Trump has said that while wealthy countries like Germany and Canada rely on the US for their security, they have refused to pay a sufficient share of their GDP to this alliance. According to Trump, if Canada refuses to pay this share and relies on the US for its defense, it might as well be a "state" of the US. He warned a month before taking office that if allies do not agree to increase their defense budgets in NATO, the US may withdraw from the alliance. During his first term, Trump also made the necessity of increasing member countries' contributions to NATO a significant issue, accusing other member countries of taking advantage of the US. Joe Biden has continued Trump's previous efforts to increase the contributions of US allies in NATO following Russia's military attack on Ukraine three years ago.