Donald Trump's administration has criticised Nato allies for failing to meet defence spending commitments, issuing a warning of potential consequences ahead of a key summit this week. The White House has demanded that allies immediately fulfil their pledge to increase military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
UK's Defence Spending Under Scrutiny
Britain's current pledge stands at 2.7% of GDP, following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's announcement of a £15 billion upgrade to the country's armed forces last week, according to The Telegraph. This places the UK and the US on a potential collision course at the Nato summit, which begins Tuesday in Ankara, Turkey.
On Sunday night, US ambassador to Nato Matt Whitaker stated: "Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way. But many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately and not only get on a sustainable path to the 5 per cent but to get to 5 per cent as soon as possible."
Potential Benefits and Consequences
Higher defence spending may give countries priority when seeking to purchase US weaponry, as well as easier access to Trump himself. Analysts suggest this is part of the president's plan to reward or punish nations based on their defence spending choices.
Failure to reach the 5% target could lead to a "less capable Europe and Canada", according to US officials. Last month, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced a review of American military forces in Europe, questioning whether some members were meeting their spending commitments, claiming they still seemed "to think the era of free-riding is here".
UK's Funding Plan Questioned
Keir Starmer's plan to hike defence spending by £15 billion is also under scrutiny, with Downing Street unable to specify exactly where the cuts required to pay for the increase will come from. Around a third of the funding has been deferred to the next budget.
Former defence secretary John Healey, who quit in protest at the level of extra military funding being offered, said that even with the latest increase, the UK would be spending 2.7% of economic output on defence in 2030. He stressed the need to "develop a clear, credible funding plan" to ensure the UK meets its Nato commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence by 2035.
