Eager for expansion yet divided among members, NATO's summit bargaining reveals that European security consensus is hard to achieve. The proposed 5 percent defense spending target has further exposed the rift in U.S.-EU security trust and deep divisions among NATO member states.

A global poll conducted by CGTN shows that 67.4 percent of respondents condemn NATO's accelerated military expansion, warning it could trigger a new arms race and severely threaten global peace and stability.

Just how ambitious is NATO's expansion? The numbers can tell: Global military spending in 2024 reached $2.72 trillion, with NATO accounting for $1.5 trillion – 55 percent of the world's total. Despite the imbalance in global military power, NATO continues to push members to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.

In response, 84.7 percent of respondents believe NATO has become an outright war machine, while 80.4 percent of respondents expressed concern that its rapid military expansion warrants vigilance. Furthermore, 73.8 percent of respondents fear that achieving the 5 percent target will accelerate global military imbalance, posing a grave threat to world peace and security.

Yet, NATO's grand ambitions clash with harsh realities. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez openly dismissed the 5 percent target as "disproportionate and unnecessary," a view echoed by 80.1 percent of respondents, who argue that forcing NATO's European members to drastically increase defense spending could lead to higher taxes or slashed welfare – costs ultimately borne by European citizens.

Meanwhile, 76.2 percent of respondents believe the spending dispute will trigger further divisions among NATO's European member states. U.S. President Donald Trump once threatened to scale back America's security commitments if allies didn't pay more. 76.6 percent of respondents accuse the U.S. of disregarding its European allies' concerns. Security cooperation between Europe and the U.S. may drift further apart, while the rifts within NATO continue to widen.

The poll, conducted across CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian platforms, gathered responses from 6,000 overseas users within 12 hours.