NATO’s Defense Spending Goal May Be Raised
NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, recently made a joke about the alliance’s current defense spending goal. He said that if members don’t increase their spending to protect against Russia, they can either take Russian language courses or move to New Zealand.
This comment was made in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Many countries are now calling for higher defense spending across NATO.
Rutte warned that the current level of spending is not enough and will become even less sufficient within four or five years if not increased. He suggested that members either spend more or take steps to protect themselves from Russia, such as learning Russian or moving to New Zealand.
NATO foreign ministers are currently discussing a plan to raise the alliance’s defense spending target from 2% of GDP to 3% by 2030. This would involve gradually increasing spending to 2.5% before reaching 3%.
Some countries, like Italy and Canada, do not meet the current 2% target. However, more allies have reached this level in recent years, with 24 meeting it in 2024.
The US has also called for increased defense spending within NATO, suggesting that members spend up to 5% of GDP on defense.
In response to Russia’s war, Ukraine plans to increase its defense spending significantly, aiming to spend 26% of its GDP on defense in 2025.