BRATISLAVA. Ever since Donald Trump mentioned the figure of five percent of GDP as a milestone for increasing defense spending, European members of NATO have been faced with the dilemma of how not to provoke the American president.

Increasing defense capabilities against theoretical Russian aggression and the threat of the United States' withdrawal from Europe are, according to most member states, justified reasons for increasing defense investment.

However, the commitment that has been tentatively agreed upon and is likely to be adopted soon at the summit in The Hague is an obvious compromise.

President Peter Pellegrini and Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs Robert Kaliňák and Juraj Blanár (both Smer) made the clearest statement yet on Tuesday afternoon at the airport just before their flight to the Netherlands.

The SME newspaper explains several levels of the political and economic struggle for NATO's new goals, as well as what the Slovak delegation is actually preparing to commit to.

1. What is the final wording of the NATO agreement that Slovakia is also planning to support?

Member states will commit to increasing defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and investing another 1.5 percent of GDP in"dual-purpose projects," such as hospitals or roads.

The amounts should be reached within ten years, i.e. by 2035. The rate of growth in spending, i.e. by how many tenths of a percent defense budgets would have to grow annually, will not be determined.