NATO chief expects allies to raise defense spending target

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he is expecting the alliance’s member countries to raise their current defense spending target of two percent of its national output. The move is expected to happen during the NATO summit in July.

In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Stoltenberg said he is expecting NATO countries to raise their defense spending targets in the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in July. Stoltenberg added that he could not say what the member countries would agree on. Many countries have increased their defense spending following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

“I assume that there will be a new target for defense spending when we meet for the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July this year,” said Stoltenberg. “The two percent target was initially for a decade, so until 2024, so we have to update it now.”

“I assume that it will be a more ambitious target than before because everybody sees that we need to invest more,” Stoltenberg said, referring to what the alliance’s members may agree on.

On Tuesday, the administration of US President Joe Biden reiterated its support for Finland and Sweden joining the NATO alliance. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and nearly all the alliance’s members have ratified their applications for accession. Only the parliaments of Hungary and Turkey remain.

“This has always been a discussion about Finland and Sweden…moving from an alliance of 28 to 30. That’s what we want to see happen,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters when pressed on the possibility of Finland getting accepted into the alliance without Sweden. Price added that such a possibility is not “a question” Washington is entertaining.

Washington’s response follows comments by Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto, saying that a temporary pause for a few weeks is needed for the talks between Finland, Sweden, and Turkey for NATO accession. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden should not expect Turkey’s approval for its accession after Stockholm expressed support for a protest near the Turkish embassy in Sweden over the weekend.

“A time-out is needed before we return to the three-way talks and see where we are when the dust has settled after the current situation, so no conclusions should be drawn yet,” Haavisto told Reuters.