"Netherlands Hosted 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague and Members Commit to 5% GDP Defence Spending by 2035".

For the first time since NATO’s establishment in 1949, the Netherlands hosted the NATO Summit on June 24–25, 2025, in The Hague. This pivotal gathering brought together leaders from all 32 member nations to adopt decisive commitments on defence, security, and global cooperation under the chairmanship of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

      - The Netherlands hosted its first-ever NATO Summit at the World Forum in The Hague, making it a landmark moment in the alliance’s history. The summit witnessed participation from 32 NATO countries, including 45 heads of state and government, 6,000 official delegates, and around 2,000 media personnel. To ensure security, the Netherlands implemented its largest-ever protective operation—“Operation Orange Shield”—mobilizing over 27,000 personnel, including police, army, F-35 jets, and drone surveillance, along with weeks-long street closures around the venue.

      - The summit agenda featured the NATO Public Forum, Defence Industry Forum, and multiple bilateral meetings. The Public Forum hosted academic leaders, civil society, and youth voices from all NATO countries, emphasizing transparency and public engagement. The Defence Industry Forum saw participation from over 100 global defence companies, presenting new technologies in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and defence logistics. Leaders from the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, and South Korea, were invited for special strategic consultations.

      - One of the summit’s most consequential outcomes was the unanimous agreement—barring a few exceptions—on increasing national defence expenditure to 5% of each member’s GDP by 2035. This includes 3.5% for traditional military capabilities and 1.5% for emerging threats and infrastructure development. This target will be subject to mid-term review in 2029. Secretary-General Mark Rutte termed the commitment “a generational leap in collective defence readiness,” while several leaders described it as NATO’s most transformative fiscal agreement since the Cold War.

Main Point :-   (i) Former US President Donald Trump, who attended the summit, took credit for pushing the 5% goal, calling it “a great victory for fairness.” He strongly advocated for European nations to buy American-made weapons, reflecting domestic industrial interests. However, the proposal drew internal resistance. Spain officially opted out of the 5% target citing economic constraints, although it agreed to maintain the 2035 timeline for related reforms. Italy, Slovakia, and Belgium also voiced concerns about balancing social welfare spending with defence commitments.

      (ii) The summit reaffirmed NATO’s collective defence principle under Article 5 and identified Russia as a "long-term, systemic threat." While Ukraine was not at the center of negotiations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha were present and engaged in high-level talks. Despite debates over immediate membership, NATO reiterated support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and pledged continued financial and military assistance, including updated air defence systems and battlefield intelligence coordination.

(iii) The summit concluded with the formal adoption of “The Hague NATO Summit Declaration 2025,” outlining all major resolutions including defence budget benchmarks, cybersecurity collaboration, and defence innovation strategies. Member nations committed to reconvening for a mid-term implementation review in 2029. Türkiye was officially announced as the host for the 2026 NATO Summit. The Hague declaration is now viewed as a foundational document shaping NATO’s strategic path through the 2030s.
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