More than 20 NATO member countries will meet the Alliance's goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense this year. This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, quoted by "Reuters".
He stressed that allies have increased their military spending since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Stoltenberg told US President Joe Biden at the White House that five years ago the number of alliance allies meeting this spending target was ten members fewer.
"Across Europe and Canada, NATO allies are increasing defense spending by 18% this year - the biggest increase in decades, and 23 allies will spend 2% of GDP or more on defense this year," he.
According to Stoltenberg, the increase in allied defense spending is a good thing for Europe and for America, especially since much of this extra money is spent in the United States.
Stoltenberg was in Washington to prepare for next month's NATO summit in the US capital, a topic he and Biden also discussed.
Biden noted that the alliance faces one of the most significant moments for Europe since World War II as Ukraine battles Russian forces.
"We have strengthened NATO's eastern flank, making it clear that we will defend every inch of the Alliance's territory," he pointed out.
Stoltenberg said that when the leaders of the NATO countries set the goal of 2% of GDP at their meeting in 2014, only three members - the US, Greece and Great Britain - fulfilled it.
At that time, 28 countries were members of the Alliance, while now there are 32.
Stoltenberg pointed out that the trend of increasing military spending by NATO members was triggered by Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014.
NATO defense spending has become highly controversial in recent years, especially after former US President Donald Trump accused the Europeans of spending too little on their own security and relying on the United States for protection.
Earlier this year, Trump - the presumptive Republican nominee in this year's US presidential election - sparked outrage by suggesting he would not protect NATO members who did not spend enough on defense and would even encourage Russia to attack them.
Defense spending by many European countries has risen sharply since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Stoltenberg specified that NATO defense spending will be a major topic at the Alliance summit in Washington next month.
He warned that the delay in providing US military aid to Ukraine, which occurred earlier this year, must not be allowed to happen again.