Nato says 22 members hit 2% spending target in 2024
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French pilots taking part in a Nato air force exercise in the Netherlands, on April 9.
PHOTO: AFP
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BRUSSELS - Nato on April 24 said 22 of its 32 members hit the defence spending threshold of 2 per cent of GDP in 2024, as US President Donald Trump pushes to more than double that target.
European countries have ramped up their military budgets since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine
Ahead of a June summit, Mr Trump is pressuring Washington’s allies to go much further and agree to a new goal of spending 5 per cent of GDP – well above the current US level.
The US president has warned he could refuse to help protect countries
Nato had earlier forecast that 23 countries would hit the 2 per cent level in 2024.
Overall spending by European members and Canada rose by more than 19 per cent last year, Nato said in its annual report.
Ahead of the summit in the Hague however, several countries that still fall short of the spending target have pledged to step up.
Spain this week said it would invest more than €10 billion (S$15 billion) to hit the 2 per cent level this year.
The US remains by far the biggest military spender in Nato. In 2024, it accounted for 64 per cent of all defence expenditure in dollar terms. AFP
