...
By Robert Birsel and Shane Croucher
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
All NATO allies are now estimated to be meeting the target of investing at least 2 percent of GDP in defense, according to the latest data published by the alliance.
Why It Matters
The increase marks a big win for U.S. President Donald Trump, who across his two terms in office has pushed hard for NATO members to meet their obligations on defense spending, and now wants them to go further, targeting 5 percent instead.
Read More
NATO Ally Calls Ukraine Air Strikes ‘An Attack on Our Sovereignty’3 min read
How NATO Is Using Creative Accounting to Meet Trump’s Spending Demands10 min read
Trump Asked If Putin Is ‘Back On The Clock’ Amid Ceasefire Stalemate5 min read
What To Know
Many NATO countries have boosted their military spending in the years since President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, and follows increased U.S. pressure on its allies to shoulder more of the financial burden.
...
Trump, in particular, has called on NATO's European members to increase their defense spending and pay a larger share of the alliance's budget.
The alliance said on Thursday that 31 of its 32 members had met the target of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense this year, up from only 18 last year and only 10 in 2023. Iceland does not have armed forces.
There are caveats in how the data is calculated, with differences between national governments relating to how they measure defense spending and GDP.
"The amounts represent payments by a national government that have been or will be made during the course of the fiscal year to meet the needs of its armed forces, those of allies or of the alliance," NATO said in a release.
And more expenditure is coming. NATO announced in late June that member states had agreed to commit 5 percent of their GDP to their respective defense budgets by 2035.
Trump has long wanted NATO to reduce its reliance on the U.S. and increase European self-sufficiency in defense, a goal sharpened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the increasing security threat Moscow poses to the continent.
...
Trump has cast doubt on the U.S. role within NATO, and even on the future of the alliance.
He hinted the U.S. could pull out of the bloc and even said last year that he would "encourage" Russia to attack any member that failed to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense.
However, comments in July show him warming to NATO , following a summit in June in which members pledged to spend more, and the U.S. president's increasingly strident criticism of Putin, considered NATO's biggest threat.
Trump received a warm reception at the June summit in the Netherlands from the alliance chief Mark Rutte.
Trump had previously criticized NATO as "obsolete" and in July when asked by the BBC if he still thought this was the case, he replied it was becoming the opposite of that because members were spending more on defense and "paying their own bills."
Trump has allowed NATO countries to purchase U.S.-made weapons and send them to Ukraine.
What People Are Saying
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a speech in December: "If we don't spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much higher price later to fight it.
What Happens Next
The defense investment target of 5 percent will require each NATO member to contribute billions of dollars, reflecting the scale of the alliance's modernization push.
Update 8/28/2025 6:27 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines