NATO summit 2025: U.S. stance on Ukraine and defense spending
NATO defense ministers are convening in Brussels on Thursday, February 13, for their first meeting of the year. The gathering, which began on Wednesday, February 12, is drawing significant attention to newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The 31 NATO member states, excluding the United States, are eager to hear his views on critical issues, particularly the war in Ukraine, defense spending, and Washington’s commitment to the alliance.
Hegseth’s visit comes during a week of high-profile U.S. government delegations to Europe, marking their first trips since taking office. Amid considerable transatlantic tensions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his British, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Ukrainian counterparts in Paris on February 12, ahead of the Munich Security Conference scheduled for February 14–16. The conference will host world leaders, defense officials, and foreign policy experts.
Likewise, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg are set to attend the Munich conference. However, Pete Hegseth remains the only high-ranking U.S. official participating in a formal ministerial setting.
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group—a coalition of 50 nations that meets monthly to coordinate military support for Ukraine—Hegseth stated that the Trump administration views Ukraine’s return to its pre-2014 borders as "unrealistic."
He emphasized that any lasting peace in Ukraine must include "strong security guarantees," potentially involving troop deployments. However, he clarified that no U.S. forces would be sent to Ukraine. He also warned that any NATO forces entering Ukraine would likely not be covered under Article 5 of the alliance’s charter, which considers an attack on one member an attack on all.
The impact of such statements was anticipated, given Donald Trump’s long standing criticism of NATO members for not spending enough on defense. Nonetheless, ahead of the February 13 meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highlighted progress on defense expenditures. He announced that in 2024, European NATO allies and Canada had invested $485 billion in defense—an increase of nearly 20% compared to 2023—and projected even higher spending in 2025.
In Brussels, NATO defense ministers are focusing on strengthening the alliance’s defense industrial base, including an updated action plan for military production. "We need to move further and faster," Rutte stressed, underscoring the urgency of increasing production capacity.
Additionally, the meeting is addressing potential Russian destabilization efforts against NATO allies, including sabotage, assassination attempts, and attacks on critical infrastructure. Rutte highlighted NATO’s response through "Baltic Sentry" operations in the Baltic Sea and a heightened state of vigilance across the alliance.
Support for Ukraine remains a central topic on Thursday, as it was on Wednesday. Rutte also praised recent substantial military aid from Sweden, Finland, and Canada while emphasizing the critical role of NATO’s new command center in Wiesbaden, Germany, in coordinating military assistance.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
