Mette Frederiksen: No country should be exempt from NATO goal

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen opposes allowing NATO member countries to be exempt from the goal of spending five percent of GDP on defense. Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, she emphasized the need for all of Europe to defend itself collectively. Spain previously sought exemption due to its geographical distance from Russia, proposing a defense budget of 2.1% of GDP. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, exemptions from NATO’s defense spending targets are not possible. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with Spain’s request. At the summit, NATO countries are expected to agree on a new defense spending goal of five percent of GDP, including 3.5% directly for defense. Frederiksen believes achieving agreement on these goals is beneficial, but insufficient.