NATO Secretary General: Europe and Canada Increased Defense Spending by 20%

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, stated on Friday, February 8, that the defense spending of NATO's European members and Canada in 2024 was 20% higher than the previous year. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has intensified his requests for NATO members to increase defense spending, a demand he made repeatedly during his first term. Many members were eager to show that they received his message and have increased their military expenditures, especially since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. NATO announced that the 20% increase among non-American members of the alliance brought their total defense spending to over $485 billion. In response to a Reuters request regarding the latest spending statistics, Rutte said, 'I am looking forward to hosting the defense ministers at NATO, where we will discuss more and better investment in defense matters.' According to NATO data, last year, the United States accounted for about two-thirds of NATO's total defense spending. The agreement among EU and NATO leaders to increase defense investments, discussions among EU, UK, and NATO leaders on defense issues, and NATO's actions to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea are also highlighted.