All NATO members are expected to meet the longstanding target of spending 2% of GDP on defence this year, but only three currently reach a new, higher target set by alliance leaders in June, according to NATO data released Thursday.
Military spending across NATO has risen sharply in recent years, spurred by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and calls from U.S. leaders for European allies to invest more in their own defence. Last year, more than 10 of NATO’s 32 members fell short of the 2% goal agreed in 2014.
Figures for 2025 show all allies meeting the target, with seven just at the 2% minimum and several slightly above. Poland leads in defence spending as a share of GDP at 4.48%, followed by Lithuania at 4% and Latvia at 3.73%. These three countries are currently the only NATO members exceeding the new 3.5% target agreed at the June summit in The Hague.
The new goal is part of a broader plan to reach 5% of GDP on defence and security-related investments by 2035, covering areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure upgrades for military logistics.
Speaking at the opening of a Rheinmetall ammunition factory in Unterluess, Germany, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the increased spending but stressed that funding alone does not guarantee security.
“Cash alone doesn’t provide security,” he said. “Deterrence doesn’t come from 5%. Deterrence comes from the capability to fight potential enemies.”
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence and energy high on the agenda. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks focused on peace, trade and regional cooperation.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Iran will not let a single particle of its enriched nuclear material leave the country, and any new U.S. attack would be met with strikes on distant American bases, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence and energy high on the agenda. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks focused on peace, trade and regional cooperation.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is stepping down amid reports linking him to a woman suspected by U.S. authorities of spying for China, throwing the future of the $4 trillion chipmaker into uncertainty.
Tajikistan is urging regional allies to step up support for its border with Afghanistan following a series of deadly armed incidents. Despite building more than 80 new border outposts, Dushanbe says it needs further assistance to secure its southern frontier.
Eight people have been killed and at least 17 injured after an apartment building collapsed into a neighbouring construction site in Brooklyn, New York, as rescuers continued searching the rubble for possible survivors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for facilitating talks between Russia and Ukraine, but warned that any foreign troops deployed in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets by Moscow.
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