Of that eight, seven are EU members. They are: Belgium, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. The other NATO member estimated to be spending less than two percent is Canada.
However, the 57-year-old appeared to be intimating that members should be spending more than the two percent target, given the threats posed by Russia, and its allies China, Iran, and North Korea.
“To keep NATO strong and ensure our defence remains effective and credible against all threats, we need more forces, better capabilities faster innovation; this requires more investment,” said Rutte.
“To truly match the capabilities with the needs, we need significantly more defence spending – we will make sure to invest enough in the right areas – we must each bear our fair share,” he added.
In April this year, Polish PM Andrzej Duda called on members to spend 3 percent on defence. The Eastern European state is NATO’s highest spender in terms of the GDP.
Poland, bordered by Russia’s exclave in Kaliningrad and Belarus, will spend an estimated 4.2 percent on defence in 2024, according to NATO.
Estonia is estimated to spend 3.43 percent of GDP this year, while the US is estimated to be the third-highest proportional spender at 3.38 percent. The US spends vastly more on its defence budget than any other country on Earth, however.
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Publish date : 2024-10-01 10:58:00
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