Highly indebted Italy's projected defence budget for 2024 was 1.49% of gross domestic product, NATO figures show, below the military alliance's current 2% target which Trump wants raised to 5%.

BRUSSELS: US President Donald Trump is demanding NATO allies massively ramp up defence spending to five percent of GDP -- a level that looks well out of reach for many. But with countries across the alliance scrambling to boost budgets,

Worried about Russian aggression, some members on NATO’s eastern flank have ramped up spending well above the 2% mark. Poland already is at 5% of GDP, for example. Italy, Portugal and Spain, on the other hand, are yet to hit even the 2% level.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NATO allies on Thursday that Washington remained committed to the alliance but expected them to spend far more on defence and would give them some time to do so.

IVO H. DAALDER is Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013.

Trump, famously critical of the alliance the U.S. had led for decades, has already cast doubt across Europe on how reliable Washington now is as an ally.

Washington Summit marked the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by celebrating the Alliance’s enduring commitment to the transatlantic region’s freedom and security.

While Trump's tariffs have drawn backlash from some world leaders, a State Department spokesman told Scripps News they're about bolstering U.S. security, which, in turn, strengthens global security.

Rubio’s NATO visit aimed to reassure allies as Trump’s trade war, Ukraine policy, and defense demands strained U.S.-Europe relations.