“It is an important summit also because of the significant and sustainable commitments that are made. I want to reiterate that, for Italy, these are necessary expenses to strengthen obviously our defense, our security in a context that needs it but in a dimension that allows us to make these commitments knowing already that we will not divert a single euro from the other priorities of the government in defense and protection of Italians”. Thus Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in the press point at the end of the work of the NATO summit in The Hague, which in its final declaration set the increase to 5% of GDP for defense spending. “Therefore,” she added, “we are talking about an increase in defense spending of 1.5% over 10 years, not far from the commitment that Italy already made in 2014, then reaffirmed by all governments,” and “to this is added a 1.5% in spending on security, which are resources that we spend anyway on subjects much broader than the issue of defense,” resources “that serve to keep this nation as strong as it has always been”. “I hear a lot of numbers that are distant from reality both in the media and in Parliament,” she explains, “we have done our calculations and for 2026 we do not think we need to use the escape clause and then in the years to come we will evaluate based on the economic situation”. "But I want to make it clear that if we are good, an important part of these resources will be used to strengthen Italian companies and this creates an expansive policy, a virtuous circle if we know how to use it well. I think the most important thing is the compactness of the alliance and the willingness of that alliance to strengthen itself, which in the context in which we find ourselves is a very important element," stresses the Prime Minister, who on the Iranian situation says: “Obviously we welcome the start of a ceasefire in the crisis between Israel and Iran, it is an issue on which we need to continue to work, as you know our goal is an Iranian nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S., I talked about it yesterday with Trump, to whom I said as I reiterated in the plenary that we need the same determination to reach two more ceasefires, one in Ukraine where Russia seems not to want to move forward and in Gaza, where as I have said repeatedly the situation is untenable”. “I think,” Meloni adds, "that everyone realizes both that a ceasefire in Gaza is necessary and that it is easier to achieve it today: this is not only with regard to Trump, but all the actors I have spoken to in recent days, the Israeli Prime Minister himself, the G7 and European leaders understand that this is the moment when we need to be able to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. So Italy is very committed to achieving that". In addition, the Prime Minister assures, “the summit confirms full support for Ukraine from all allies, and I think this is a very important message”. “I am proud,” Meloni finally says, “that from how we started today between Europe and the U.S. we are talking to each other, I think Italy played a decisive role”.