NATO members are expected to agree to a boost in defence spending commitments at their summit next month, according to Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of in total 5%,” Rutte said during a NATO meeting in Ohio, Reuters reported.

Rutte earlier sent a letter to NATO members suggesting he anticipates spending commitments will be 3.5% on hard military spending and 1.5% on other expenditures like infrastructure and cybersecurity. The letter called on allies to reach the new level by 2032.

Defence spending by the alliance has long been a contentious issue for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called on other countries to boost funding. Trump has repeatedly taken aim at Canada over the issue, with the country currently failing to meet existing 2% GDP spending requirements.

Currently, no country meets the 5% spending threshold. Poland ranked highest among members in 2024, committing 4.12% of its GDP to defence. The U.S. spent 3.8%, while Canada (1.37%) was among eight members failing to meet the existing 2% commitment. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney previously pledged that Canada would spend 2% by 2030, but an increase by the alliance will require further budgetary commitments.

In Tuesday's throne speech, the Liberals committed to join the European Union's ReArm Europe program, a plan which claims it will boost defence spending and manufacturing.

NATO's summit will be held June 24-25 in the Netherlands.

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