U.S. to Press NATO Allies on Defense Spending, Push Multi-Trillion Won Arms Sales at Summit

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 5 that the President plans to review the fulfillment of defense spending increase pledges by European allies during the NATO summit held in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7–8 (local time).

Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, stated during a press call on the same day regarding the U.S. agenda for the summit, "At the Ankara summit, we will review the progress made on the Hague defense pledge."

Previously, NATO member states agreed at the NATO summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, in June of last year to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035, in accordance with President Trump's demands.

"Along with the 5 percent of GDP target, we will evaluate how allies are expanding NATO's core capabilities to support the burden-sharing currently underway on the European continent," Ambassador Whitaker said.

Regarding the implementation status by country, he noted, "Poland, the Nordic countries, and the Baltic states are leading the way, and Germany is also on track with its plan to raise defense spending to the 5 percent of GDP level by 2029," adding, "However, many other countries are lagging behind."

He emphasized, "We expect all allies to achieve fair burden-sharing by demonstrating meaningful quantitative and qualitative upward trends in defense spending."

A senior official from the Trump administration revealed during the press call that U.S.-made arms sales contracts worth billions of dollars (trillions of won) are expected to take place during the summit.

Ultimately, it appears the Trump administration's goal is to closely link the increase in defense spending by allies to the expansion of U.S. arms exports.

Regarding the possibility of adjusting U.S. troop levels in Europe, the senior official stated that a comprehensive review of U.S. military deployments and major base statuses in Europe is being conducted under the leadership of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, adding, "This is exactly why our allies need to possess more capabilities and fulfill the Hague defense pledge as soon as possible."

Previously, Secretary Hegseth announced at a NATO defense ministerial meeting last month that he would review the status of U.S. military presence in Europe over a six-month period.

According to the White House, President Trump is scheduled to depart from the White House on the evening of July 6 and arrive in Ankara on the afternoon of July 7 (local time).

He will then hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attend a social dinner for NATO leaders.

On July 8, he will attend the official welcoming ceremony for the NATO summit and hold separate bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara.

President Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference afterward before departing Ankara and arriving at the White House on the evening of July 8.

Regarding the meeting with President Zelenskyy, the senior official said, "We believe it is time for this war (the Ukraine war) to end," and that the two leaders will discuss ways to bring the war in Ukraine to a close.

The official added, "President Trump believes that urgent efforts must be made to stop this war."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.