SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
NATO chief: US 'totally committed' to collective defence pledge
The Hague, June 25 (AFP) Jun 25, 2025
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the United States was "totally committed" to the alliance's mutual defence clause, after President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on it.

"For me, there is absolute clarity that the United States is totally committed to NATO, totally committed to Article Five," Rutte told reporters ahead of a summit meeting of alliance leaders.

On his way to the summit, Trump refused to commit to NATO's Article Five clause, the basic agreement that says an attack on one member is an attack on all.

"Depends on your definition. There's numerous definitions of Article Five," Trump told journalists in comments sure to rattle America's European allies.

"I'm committed to being their friend," he said.

Rutte said that there was, however, an "expectation" that the Canadians and the Europeans would ramp up their spending, with the US long complaining that it paid too much to defend countries in Europe.

NATO allies, later on Wednesday, are to sign off a pledge to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on core defence spending -- just over the current US level -- plus another 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.

"This is fair, that we spend the same as the US is spending," said Rutte.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Young magmas on the came from much shallower depths
JunoCam revived by onboard heat treatment just in time for Io flyby
CTAO telescope uncovers fresh evidence for layered jet structures in historic gamma ray burst

24/7 Energy News Coverage
States legally obligated to tackle climate change: ICJ
Viasat unveils IoT Nano service for global low-power connectivity
Xi says China, EU must deepen trust but bloc chief urges 'real solutions'

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Trump's AI plan prioritizes deregulation to boost US dominance
Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row
US approves $322 mn in arms sales to Ukraine; German government moves to speed up military procurement

24/7 News Coverage
World's top court paves way for climate reparations
Pacific climate pioneer still fears for island nation's future
China hails 'positive' ICJ ruling on climate reparations



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.