White House expects NATO countries to increase their defence contributions

The White House expects NATO nations to increase their defence contributions before the summit in Washington.

Source: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre,during a press gaggle 

Details: Jean-Pierre said that at the Vilnius summit last summer, NATO members had agreed that spending more than 2% of GDP would be needed to address shortfalls and respond to changing security realities. 

This year, for the first time since the Alliance's inception, 19 NATO members plan to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence, representing a six-fold increase since 2014. 

Quote: "We expect that number to increase before the Washington summit. 

And if — if you combine NATO’s European Allies’ collective GDP, they will spend 2 percent of their collective GDP on defence.  This is a major milestone and a clear demonstration that Allies recognize the need to invest more in security following Putin’s reinvasion of — of Ukraine."

Background:

• In July 2023, NATO member states reached a consensus to set a binding threshold for defence spending at 2% of GDP.

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