Head of Nato suggests alliance should look to ‘equalise’ US defence contribution

The head of Nato has piled further pressure on the UK to up defence spending, as he suggested members of the alliance should be looking to “equalise” the US contribution.

Secretary-general Mark Rutte said allies will find themselves “in great difficulty” in the coming years if they stick with the current 2% GDP alliance spending target.

The former Dutch prime minister is thought to be pushing for members to commit to spending 3.5% on the military, with a further 1.5% on defence-related measures.

America currently spends around 3.4% of its GDP on defence, and Nato members are expected to spend 2%.

Sir Keir Starmer has committed to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence from April 2027, with a goal of increasing that to 3% over the next parliament, a timetable which could stretch to 2034.

However, he and the Defence Secretary have already come under pressure to explain how the 3% target could be met.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Rutte said: “The expectation is that on the European side of Nato and the Canadian side of Nato, if we think that we can keep ourselves safe sticking with the 2%, forget it.

“Yes, the next three to five years, but then we are in great difficulty. And the US rightly expects us to spend much more to defend ourselves with their help, but also to equalise, which is only fair with what the US is spending on defence.”

Leaders from Nato will meet in The Hague later this month, and Mr Rutte said a new “investment plan” will be “at the heart” of the summit.

Donald Trump has previously called for the alliance’s members to commit to a 5% GDP spend on defence, reiterated by his representative to Nato Matthew Whitaker in the lead up to this week’s meeting.

Defence Secretary John Healey said on Tuesday the UK already “makes a huge contribution to Nato” amid speculation about what the body will call for.

“Britain already makes a huge contribution to Nato,” he told reporters.

“We’ve published a defence review that has Nato at its heart and I’m announcing today the new spending in this Parliament, £4 billion, doubling the amount that we’ll put into drones.

“We’ll make a bigger contribution to Nato through that, and £1 billion over this Parliament to develop laser weapons, the first European nation in Nato to have laser weapons on our destroyers and then with our land forces.

“This is Britain leading in Nato, contributing more to Nato, just as we do, for instance, with our nuclear deterrent, the only country with a nuclear deterrent that commits it in full to other Nato nations.”

He said the UK was increasing by tenfold its target to send 10,000 drones a year, bringing it to 100,000, and would boost its funding for military training for the country’s forces to almost £250 million.

Russia is “routinely” firing more than 300 drones a day into Ukraine at a rate that could be sustained throughout 2025, Mr Healey warned.

“This is a significant shift. It could be sustained at this rate throughout 2025,” he said.

In response to the 5% demand by the US, he said: “Those summit discussions will not just be about funding profiles. They will be about the crucial capabilities that each one of the 32 nations will contribute, in the years ahead, to strengthening Nato’s collective deterrence and its collective defence.

“It is a matter not just of how much nations spend, but how they spend it.”