As many as 23 NATO countries will spend more than 2% of their GDP on defense. In February there were 18. In total, the 32 members of the Alliance raised investments by 17.9%. These are the figures that Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, rattles off at the White House, where he was received by the president of the United States, Joe Biden. “These are positive numbers for Europe and America”says the secretary general, “especially because a large part of these extra sums are spent here in the United States. In the last 2 years, more than two thirds of European defense purchases have involved American companies. These are contracts worth over 140 billion with US defense companies.”
Since 2006, NATO members have pledged to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, but few have consistently met the goal, to the frustration of the United States. The theme was highlighted often by Donald Trump during his presidency. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 radically changed the picture. According to data released by NATO, in 2022 there were 7 countries that reached the 2% of GDP threshold. They became 10 in 2023 and are now 23.
Estimates for 2024 place Croatia (1.81%), Portugal (1.55%), Italy (1.49%), Canada (1.37%), Belgium (1.3%) below the 2% threshold. ), Luxembourg (1.29%), Slovenia (1.29%) and Spain (1.28%). At the top is Poland (4.12%), followed by Estonia (3.43%), United States (3.38%), Latvia (3.15%), Greece (3.08%), Lithuania (2, 85%) and Finland (2.41%). The last country among the ‘promoted’ is Slovakia, at 2% overall.
Stoltenberg: “China must pay”
During his trip to Washington, in an interview with the BBC, Stoltenberg points the finger at China, which “has tried to keep both feet” by supporting Russia’s war effort and trying to maintain relations with European countries. “It cannot last long,” says the NATO secretary general, referring to “ongoing talks” on the adoption of possible sanctions.
China “has shared many technologies, such as microelectronic components, that are critical for Russia to build missiles, weapons that are used against Ukraine. At some point we will have to consider some form of economic cost if China does not change its attitude “.
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