NATO: We Will Significantly Increase Defense Spending

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the defense spending commitment of NATO member countries would be determined later this year.

Stoltenberg added from Brussels, after arriving to participate in an informal European Union summit dedicated to defense, that NATO’s defense spending would “significantly” increase beyond the current 2% of GDP for each country.

Leaders of the European Union member states, the British Prime Minister, and the NATO Secretary General are meeting in Brussels to try to enhance defense spending in the face of Russian aggression, at a time when Donald Trump is urging his allies to increase defense spending.

This summit in the Belgian capital is a “triple precedent”: it is the first time the 27 EU leaders meet since the 47th U.S. president was sworn in, the first time their meeting is exclusively dedicated to defense, and the first time a British leader has joined them since the UK left the EU.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, European countries have significantly increased their military budgets. However, the leaders of these countries also almost entirely acknowledge that their nations are not arming themselves quickly enough. This comes amid growing concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin might launch an attack on one of these countries in the coming years.