However, diplomats said, the deadline to actually reach the objective is still undecided; NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is proposing 2032.
“We are currently negotiating within the North Atlantic Council the timelines and what’s included in the 5 percent, both from a core defense standpoint and also defense-related and security-related spending,” the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, told reporters on Wednesday.
“But let me be clear on this, we cannot have another Wales pledge style where a lot of allies don’t meet their commitments until year 10 or year 11,” he added, referring to the 2014 decision at a NATO summit in Wales to set the 2 percent goal — the alliance’s response to Russia’s illegally annexing Crimea from Ukraine.
NATO’s most recent figures show that 23 of its 32 members are on track to spend at least 2 percent by this summer — a sharp jump from the three countries spending that much when the target was established. But hitting that number has been a struggle for many countries used to low defense spending after the Cold War.
Spain and Italy said they will reach 2 percent of GDP only this year, whereas Canada aims to do so by 2027, five years earlier than originally promised. Getting to 5 percent will be even more difficult, despite the growing threat posed by an aggressive Russia.
On Thursday, defense ministers are also expected to agree on updated NATO capability targets — meaning top secret objectives regarding military equipment that allies need to have and operate.