NATO chief sees 'transformational' summit ahead despite differences over defense spending

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was upbeat that the military organization will agree on massive spending hikes at a “transformational summit” on Wednesday, as member state leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump assembled in the Netherlands. Leaders of the 32-nation alliance are expected to agree a new defense spending target of 5 percent of gross domestic product, as the United States — NATO’s biggest-spending member — shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere. “So a transformational summit. Looking forward to it,” Rutte told reporters in The Hague, before chairing the meeting’s only working session, which was expected to last less than three hours. But ahead of the meeting, Spain announced that it would not be able to reach the target by the new 2035 deadline, calling it “unreasonable.” Belgium signaled that it would not get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defense spending. Spain, like many NATO allies, faces major economic challenges, and Trump’s globaWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times