New Delhi, June 25 -- NATO leaders on Wednesday (June 25) agreed to a significant increase in defence spending, backing a new goal of 5% of GDP by 2035, a move largely driven by demands from US President Donald Trump and growing concerns over Russia's military threat.

In a five-point joint statement issued at the summit in The Hague, NATO's 32 members declared: "We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty - that an attack on one is an attack on all."

The new defence target includes 3.5% for core defence needs, such as personnel and weapons, and 1.5% for broader security, including cyberdefence and critical infrastructure protection.

Trump, who has long criticised NATO for...