President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans to continue helping Ukraine militarily in its war against Russia while also demanding NATO members increase their defense spending.
Trump team officials have told European counterparts the U.S. will demand NATO members spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, the Financial Times reported Friday.
That means Trump wants NATO members to more than double the current 2% defense spending target, which only 23 of the military alliance's 32 members presently meet.
Whether based on rumor or Trump's reputation as a negotiator, one source told the Times they understood the president-elect would settle for 3.5%.
"It's clear that we are talking about 3% or more for The Hague summit," one European official told the Times, referring to a NATO summit scheduled for June.
The outlet reported Trump's closest foreign policy aides shared his intentions this month with senior European officials.
The president-elect's critics have suggested he would withdraw from NATO and stop assisting Ukraine.
Trump, though, has maintained he wants NATO members to pay their fair share, while also seeking an end to the Ukraine-Russia war.
Trump, who does not favor making Ukraine a NATO member, believes supplying weapons to Kyiv after a cease-fire would ensure a "peace through strength" outcome, sources told the times.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with Ukrainian authorities.
Also Thursday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Trump to ally with Europe to stop Russia and save his country.
"We need very much unity between the United States and EU and countries of Europe," Zelenskyy said before addressing European Union leaders at the start of an EU summit.
"We need this unity to achieve peace. I think only together the United States and Europe can really stop Putin and save Ukraine."
Officials from key European allies including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Zelenskyy in Brussels on Wednesday night to discuss how they would adapt to Trump's return to the White House.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Trump on Thursday, and they agreed that the Ukraine-Russia has gone on for "far too long," Barron's reported.
The U.S. will spend about 3.1% of its GDP on defense in 2024, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Times reported. In 2020, the last year of Trump's first term, defense spending hit 3.4% of GDP.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.