All NATO Members Hit 2% Defense Spending For First Time

story

3 days ago

Above: U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands in June 2025. Image copyright: Kin Cheung - Pool/Getty Images

story last updated 3 days ago

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

This milestone represents a crucial step toward genuine burden-sharing within the alliance and a revitalization of the alliance. The pressure from Trump's administration worked, and European allies are taking more seriously collective defense, for the betterment of Europe and the free world. A veritable security renaissance is underway.

Daily Caller

Establishment-critical narrative

The members of NATO have become entirely subservient to Trump and the U.S., as debt-saddled European countries will surely sacrifice social spending in order to appease the demands of the security apparatus. Europe is already outspending Russia on defense, but has now locked in decades of deficits, austerity and higher carbon emissions.

Jacobin