NATO’s European allies and Canada elevated defence spending by 20 % to $574 billion in 2025 in comparison with the earlier 12 months in actual phrases, alliance chief Mark Rutte mentioned in his annual report revealed Thursday, urging NATO members to maintain up the momentum.
“I expect Allies at the next NATO Summit in Ankara to show they are on a clear and credible path towards the 5 percent objective,” he wrote, including that “a strong transatlantic bond remains essential in an age of global uncertainty”.
Read extraTop NATO commander says allies should urgently rethink defence, put together for ‘new enemy’
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that NATO companions considerably enhance defence expenditures, because the US administration maintains that European allies ought to finally assume major duty for the standard defence of the continent.
Trump criticised NATO allies on Thursday, writing in a Truth Social publish that NATO international locations have performed “absolutely nothing” to assist with Iran.
“THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT “NEVER FORGET” THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!” he wrote.
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In his annual report, Rutte mentioned that final 12 months “all Allies reported defence expenditure figures that met or went beyond the 2 percent target first set in 2014, with many making steep increases in spending.”
NATO leaders agreed at a summit final 12 months to spend 5 % of GDP on defence and associated investments by 2035.
Countries pledged to spend 3.5 % of GDP on core defence – similar to troops and weapons – and 1.5 % on broader defence-related measures similar to cyber safety, defending pipelines and adapting roads and bridges to deal with heavy army autos.
Three NATO international locations – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia – already exceeded the brand new 3.5 % goal final 12 months, in accordance with the report’s estimates.
Several international locations together with Spain, Canada and Belgium, had been at 2 %.
In whole, the alliance of 32 member international locations spent 2.77 % of GDP on defence in 2025.
The United States accounted for round 60 % of alliance defence expenditure in 2025.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260326-nato-reports-20-increase-europe-canada-defence-spending