Secretary General: NATO members must allocate over 3% of GDP for defense

NATO member countries must increase their defense spending to over 3% of GDP, up from the current 2%, stated NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte upon arriving at the Munich Security Conference, Report informs via TASS.

"I think it will be more than 3% of GDP," he mentioned in response to journalists' questions.

The Secretary General noted that the alliance is currently assessing the appropriate level of spending, which should be determined before the NATO summit in The Hague in July. "We need to pay more. NATO's European part needs to pay more. We are not paying enough," he added.

Increasing defense spending has become a critical issue for NATO, driven by demands from the US.

US President Donald Trump has already stated that Europeans should allocate 5% of GDP for defense. Meanwhile, Rutte has proposed that alliance countries decide on new spending levels before the upcoming summit in July.