In 2024, Canada and European NATO member states increased their defense spending by 20% compared to the previous year.
This was announced by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels, held on the eve of the Alliance’s defense ministers’ meeting. Rutte recalled that since the adoption of commitments to increase defense investments in 2014, European allies and Canada have allocated an additional $700 billion.
According to him, this year, European NATO members and Canada have spent $485 billion on defense, which is 20% more than in 2023. At the same time, he emphasized that despite significant progress, more needs to be done to strengthen defense capabilities and deterrence.
For the first time, the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, will participate in the NATO defense ministers’ meeting. Ahead of the negotiations, he stated his intention to urge European allies to increase their defense spending.
On February 12, Hegseth will also take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. However, according to media reports, he does not plan to announce new arms deliveries to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
