European NATO countries and Canada will increase defense spending by 20% in 2025

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presented an annual report on defense spending of member countries. According to the document, the European members of the alliance and Canada increased them by 20% in 2025, to $574 billion.

“I expect that at the next NATO summit in Ankara, allies will demonstrate that they are on track to increase their defense budget to 5%,” he said, stressing that transatlantic cooperation remains essential in the face of global uncertainty.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly appealed to other members of the North Atlantic Alliance to increase military spending and assume primary responsibility for ensuring the security of the European continent.

The American leader was also outraged by the refusal of European allies to take part in military operations against Iran. “The US doesn’t need anything from NATO, but we will ‘never forget’ the refusal that followed at such an important time!” he wrote on March 26 on Truth Social.