Russia Warns NATO Budget Hike Could Lead to Bloc’s Collapse
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that NATO’s recent decision to increase military spending to 5% of GDP could lead to the bloc’s collapse, calling the move "catastrophic." This decision was made at NATO’s last summit in the Hague, where member states agreed to raise the target from 2% to 5%, citing security threats from the Ukraine conflict. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also warned that Russia’s defense spending could destabilize the government, drawing comparisons to the fall of the USSR. Lavrov countered by suggesting that NATO’s spending increase could similarly lead to the bloc’s downfall, while Russia plans to reduce its military spending.
The 5% GDP target faced opposition from some NATO members. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country could not allocate one-fifth of its state budget to defense, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the goal "not only unreasonable but also counterproductive."
In an interview with Polish media, Sikorski drew a parallel between modern Russia and the late USSR. Referring to President Vladimir Putin, he stated that "he himself once said that the Soviet Union fell because it spent too much on armament, and now he is doing exactly the same thing."
Meanwhile, speaking to the press at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Foreign Ministers Council in Kyrgyzstan, Sergey Lavrov took issue with Sikorski’s characterization, countering: "Perhaps he foresees – being such a prophet – that this catastrophic, in my view, increase in NATO countries’ budgets will also lead to the organization’s collapse."
Lavrov also said that Russia "plans to reduce its military spending," which now accounts for 6.3% of GDP, and "be guided by common sense, but not made-up threats like NATO member states, including Siksky."
The debate over NATO’s defense spending has sparked a range of reactions from member states. While some, like Poland, support the increased spending as a necessary measure against the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, others are raising concerns about the financial sustainability of such a commitment. This dispute highlights the growing rift within NATO as it navigates the complex geopolitical landscape shaped by the conflict in Ukraine and the broader international security environment.