The return of Trump will once again put European defense spending levels at the center of the United States’ approach to NATO. Over the past several years, NATO members have boosted investments, with about 20 out of 32 members hitting the alliance’s benchmark of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expects the return of Donald Trump as US president will "turbo-charge" the Western alliance. "With President Trump back in office we will turbo-charge defence spending and production,

NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Monday the alliance's military capability targets may require members to spend as much as 3.7% of GDP on defence but this figure could be reduced with innovation and joint procurement.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that he is working to persuade US President-elect Donald Trump to ease access for European partners to US weapons systems. Rutte told dpa that European allies are already investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the US defence industry.

NATO boss Mark Rutte said Trump "has been right many times" and played it cool when grilled by members of the European Parliament on the president-elect's Greenland plans.

Germany met NATO's target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2024, the government said on Monday, though well short of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's call for as much as 5%.