NATO Chief Says ‘Hundreds Of Billions’ In New Defense Spending Is Coming As Trump Sends More US Troops To Poland

On Friday, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte said that alliance members are preparing to pour “hundreds of billions” of additional dollars into defense spending as President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy 5,000 more U.S. troops to Poland.

NATO Defense Spending Surge Gains Momentum

Speaking ahead of a NATO meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rutte said alliance members are rapidly increasing military budgets as Europe confronts long-term security threats, particularly from Russia, CNBC reported.

“The money is really coming in,” Rutte told reporters, adding that allies are “committing more and more” toward defense investments.

Last year, NATO members agreed to raise the alliance’s defense spending target from 2% of gross domestic product to 5% by 2035. Rutte said several countries are already accelerating those timelines.

“This literally means over the years hundreds of billions [of dollars] of extra defense spending,” he said.

Sweden, NATO’s newest member, has also unveiled a roughly $4 billion defense package and is expected to hit the 5% target by 2030, according to Rutte.

Trump Expands US Military Presence In Poland

Rutte’s remarks came shortly after, on Thursday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, a key NATO member bordering Ukraine.

“Based on the successful Election” of Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Trump said he was “pleased to announce” the troop deployment.

The move reverses a Pentagon decision made just a week earlier to cancel plans for 4,000 troops in Poland.

Poland currently spends an estimated 4.48% of its GDP on defense, making it NATO’s highest spender relative to the size of its economy.

The U.S., meanwhile, spent an estimated $845 billion on defense last year — more than the rest of the alliance combined.

Europe Pushes For Stronger NATO Independence

Rutte said Europe’s increased spending would gradually reduce NATO’s reliance on Washington while keeping the U.S. central to the alliance.

“The trajectory we are on is a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO,” he said, adding that European allies are stepping up “to deter and defend against adversaries, including our long-term threat, which is Russia.”

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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