NATO's defence spending increase won't significantly affect Russia's security: Lavrov

Moscow, June 26 (IANS) The goal to increase the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) military spending will not significantly impact Russia's security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

"I don't think it will be significant in any way," Lavrov told a press conference, commenting on the impact of NATO member states' goal to increase defence expenditure to five per cent of gross domestic product by 2035.

Leaders of NATO member states concluded a two-day summit on Wednesday with a brief joint declaration committing to raise their defence spending to five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually by 2035.

The five-paragraph statement issued on Wednesday following the high-level summit in The Hague outlined that the new spending target will be split between two key categories: 3.5 per cent for core defence and 1.5 per cent for related areas, including critical infrastructure, networks, and defence industrial capabilities.

The plan will undergo a review in 2029, taking into account the strategic environment and revised capability targets, the document added.

US President Donald Trump hailed the agreement at a press conference after the summit, asserting that Washington had long carried more than its fair share of the alliance's defence burden.

However, he singled out Spain, criticising Madrid as the only country refusing to meet its full commitment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Trump said the United States is negotiating a trade deal with Spain and warned that Madrid could be made to "pay twice as much" through trade measures.

Spain has agreed with NATO to limit its military spending to 2.1 per cent of GDP, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday, ahead of the NATO summit.

--IANS

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