NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is quietly advancing a proposal that could help bridge a growing transatlantic divide—offering a creative compromise that might allow U.S. President Donald Trump to claim a political victory without forcing European allies to commit to a contentious military spending target.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Rutte is pushing for NATO members to raise their direct military expenditure to 3.5% of GDP, while committing an additional 1.5% toward broader security-related investments. The combined figure would align with Trump’s call for NATO allies to spend 5% of their national output on defense—a demand he’s emphasized ahead of the alliance’s high-stakes summit in The Hague this June.

Such a hybrid model, insiders say, could avert internal fractures within the 32-member alliance, many of whom see Trump’s 5% goal as politically and economically unrealistic. Rutte’s plan would enable allies to account for strategic infrastructure and resilience investments as part of the defense equation.

Currently, NATO's formal target requires members to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense—a benchmark met by 22 countries as of this year. However, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and Moscow’s growing military assertiveness have prompted renewed urgency to reimagine what collective defense spending should look like in 2025.

Officials note that under Rutte’s evolving plan, qualifying investments could include modernizing transport corridors—like bridges and highways—to accommodate heavy military vehicles, as well as fortifying digital and energy infrastructure crucial for wartime resilience.

A NATO spokesperson, Allison Hart, did not confirm the exact contours of Rutte’s proposal when asked by WafricNews. However, she acknowledged that the Secretary General is “working in close consultation with allies” and signaled openness to a broader interpretation of defense readiness.

“This will likely involve not only higher investment in defense according to the agreed NATO definitions,” Hart wrote in a statement, “but also additional investment in related areas like infrastructure and resilience.”

For Rutte, who took office as NATO’s top diplomat earlier this year after a long stint as Dutch Prime Minister, the proposal is a calculated diplomatic maneuver. It seeks to balance U.S. pressure for higher European defense contributions with ongoing political resistance in capitals like Berlin, Paris, and Ottawa—where defense budgets remain contentious domestic issues.

The proposal, if adopted, could help defuse potential summit tensions while subtly shifting the alliance’s thinking on what modern defense spending entails in an age of hybrid warfare, cyber threats, and geopolitical uncertainty.

President Trump, who has long criticized NATO members for “not paying their fair share,” is expected to attend the June summit in person. His administration has made defense spending a litmus test for transatlantic loyalty—and Rutte’s proposal may be aimed at offering a face-saving path forward for all parties.



By WafricNews Desk.