Defence spending by NATO’s European members and Canada rose by 20% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s Annual Report, presented in Brussels on Thursday.
Allies agreed at last year’s NATO summit in The Hague to raise defence investment to 5% of GDP, the NATO press service noted in a statement.
For the first time, all NATO members reported defence spending that met or exceeded the alliance’s 2014 guideline of at least 2% of GDP.
“The figures in the report speak for themselves,” Rutte said. “We have made significant progress on defence investment, and NATO is stronger today than it has ever been.”
He stressed European allies and Canada had been “over-reliant on US military might” and that there had been “a real shift in mindset.”
New initiatives and support for Ukraine
Rutte pointed to the creation of “Baltic Sentry”, which he said was designed to guard against potential threats to undersea infrastructure.
He also cited “Eastern Sentry”, which he said strengthened NATO’s deterrence along its eastern flank.
Rutte said allied support to Ukraine in 2025 and beyond was “closely connected” to NATO’s own security.
He also highlighted JATEC — described by NATO as the first joint NATO-Ukraine centre — and the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which NATO said provides billions of euros’ worth of US military equipment funded by allies and partners.
