Hegseth says Nato allies ‘very close’ to raising defence spending target to 5%

US defence secretary says he expects goal of 5% of GDP in next decade to be agreed this month

The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said Nato allies were very close, almost near consensus" to an agreement to significantly raise targets for defence spending to 5% of GDP in the next decade.

The Trump administration official indicated he expected the increased target to be agreed at a summit in The Hague later this month - and confirmed that the headline figure was to be split into two parts.