Brussels 05.06.2025 Today at NATO Headquaters the U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said allies cannot rely on the United States to defend them and need to increase self-reliance.

US defence chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday pushed NATO to agree a deal on ramping up defence spendinghttps://t.co/6SUGJwIlwK pic.twitter.com/sh53oKBum4

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“The United States is proud to be here, to stand with our allies, but our message is gonna continue to be clear: It’s deterrence and peace through strength, but it cannot be reliance,” Hegseth told reporters ahead of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

“It cannot and will not be reliance on America. It can’t just be U.S. capabilities,” he said.

The NATO defense ministers convene in Brussels, the Alliance headquarters, just weeks before a milestone Summit of NATO leaders in The Hague, The Netherlands on 24-25 June 2025.

Today, NATO Defence Ministers are meeting at NATO HQ 🤝@SecGenNATO Mark Rutte started the day by speaking to the media 🎥#DefMin

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The U.S. is expecting the European allies to accept the updated capability targets, and prepare in a more detailed way for an agreement in The Hague for a new defense spending target of five (5) percent of gross domestic product.
The stance on defence spending of the Trump administration differs from the predecessor’s, indicating that the Republicans are inclined to expect more of the European engagement in proactive, and energetic approach.

“Our commitment to Article 5 remains, but we also think it’s reasonable that our allies be also committed to Article 3,” the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker said, which stipulates that NATO member states should “maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.”

The U.S. Defence Secretary insisted that all NATO ally had to accept their fair share: “The reason I’m here is to make sure every country in NATO understands every shoulder has to be to the plow, every country has to contribute at that level of 5 percent,” he concluded, and added that he is confident that this deal will be reached in The Hague.

From Brussels Anna van Densky