NATO countries have reached the landmark level of 4% of GDP in military spending

The member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have reached the target of spending 4% of GDP on defense annually. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced this ahead of the summit in Ankara. The Secretary General emphasized that these figures apply exclusively to European allies and Canada, so that U.S. figures would not skew the overall picture of growth in European defense budgets following the decision adopted a year ago in The Hague.

According to NATO estimates, defense spending has increased by 258 billion U.S. dollars over the past two years. Last year alone, European partners and Canada spent nearly 20% more on core defense and security needs than the year before. The Alliance’s head emphasized that after many years of underfunding, the bloc is finally building real defense capabilities, but this process must continue, as the allies will need additional military forces, more resources, and a significantly stronger industrial base, reports a “European Truth” correspondent from the scene.

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