Italy will significantly increase its defence and security spending next year, but Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni argued that NATO allies should focus less on spending targets and more on adapting to the changing nature of warfare.
Addressing parliament on Thursday, Meloni said she would inform NATO leaders at next month's summit that Italy plans to allocate around 2.8% of GDP to defence and security in 2026, up from last year's level. Much of the increase will come from domestic security spending, including certain police functions that can now be counted under updated NATO guidelines.
Meloni cautioned against judging military strength solely by defence budgets or conventional weapons systems. She said the conflict in Ukraine had demonstrated how rapidly battlefield realities are evolving.
According to Meloni, drones have transformed the front line, making movement difficult and allowing relatively inexpensive systems to destroy costly military hardware.
She argued that NATO members should reassess the strategic value of assets such as satellites, data infrastructure and cyber capabilities alongside traditional equipment like tanks and aircraft carriers.
Highlighting the growing role of technology in warfare, Meloni said some countries are investing in training young people with gaming skills to operate drones remotely in future conflicts.
She suggested that data protection and digital capabilities are becoming as important as conventional military assets, calling for a broader debate among Western allies about how to prepare for future security challenges.
The discussion comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to press NATO allies to spend more on defence, arguing that European governments have relied too heavily on American military support. Trump has urged allies in Europe and Asia to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP.
The debate has also exposed tensions within allied governments. Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday following a dispute over military funding, saying the government had not committed sufficient resources to address growing security threats.
Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he understood Healey's frustrations, noting that many defence ministers face similar challenges as governments balance security demands with budget pressures.
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Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday for the fourth day of the high-level General Debate, with speeches and diplomatic meetings continuing throughout the day.
A woman has died and five people are missing after a residential building collapsed following an explosion in a tourist area of central Athens, a Greek fire brigade official said on Saturday.
U.S. television networks resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s White House events on Friday, providing the first live pool footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit as a legal battle continues over restrictions on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is comfortable maintaining its trade standoff with Canada despite new import bans taking effect next week U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday.
The military chiefs of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Riyadh to discuss closer defence cooperation under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron has left open the possibility of seeking the presidency again after he leaves office next year, saying he “doesn’t exclude anything” when asked about a possible third mandate.
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