Türkiye backs NATO's 5% defence target, pledges investments

Türkiye has thrown its full support behind NATO’s new pledge to raise collective defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with Ankara confirming it is already surpassing the previous 2% benchmark and accelerating efforts to bolster national and regional security.

A senior official from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said Türkiye, as NATO’s second-largest army, is among the top contributors to the alliance’s operations and has fulfilled all capability targets set by the bloc.

“Türkiye is above the 2% target under the Defence Spending Pledge,” the source said Thursday. “We continue to invest heavily in defence industry production and innovation.”

NATO members formally agreed on Wednesday to raise the spending target, citing rising threats from Russia and the need to build both military capacity and civilian infrastructure resilience. The revised target includes a minimum of 3.5% of GDP for core defence and 1.5% for critical infrastructure, such as transport and digital networks.

Ankara confirmed it is advancing a wide range of projects, including its multi-layered “Steel Dome” air defence system and programmes to develop hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missile capabilities, unmanned vehicles, and next-generation naval and aerial platforms.

The new NATO framework also allows allies to count weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine as part of the spending formula. This may ease pressure on some members but could still pose a challenge for several countries — including Spain, Belgium, France, and Italy — struggling with budget constraints. Slovakia also voiced reservations, while Spain officially opposed the agreement.

The bloc will review progress in 2029, following the next U.S. presidential election. President Donald Trump, attending the summit, praised the shift: “I left there saying these people really love their countries. It’s not a ripoff. They want to protect their country, and they need the United States.

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