NATO Allies Boost Defense Spending by 20% in 2025

0:00It's March 26th. This is Global News Today, driven by AI tracking the world in real time. NATO's European allies in Canada boosted their defense spending by 20% and 2025, compared to the year before, according to the Alliance's latest annual report from Chief Mark Rhett. He highlighted this real-terms jump as a strong step forward and called on members to stay on track for a new 5% of gross domestic product. Leaders set this 5% goal for defense and related investments by 2035 during last year's summon. That breaks down to 3.5% on core items like troops and weapons, plus 1.5% on things like cyber defenses and infrastructure upgrades for military use. President Donald Trump has long pushed NATO partners to spend more, arguing Europe should handle most conventional defense on the continent. He recently criticized allies over their response to Iran, stressing that the United States doesn't need much from the alliance right now. The report notes that every NATO member met or beat the original 2% target last year

1:05with total alliance spending hitting 2.7. 7% of GDP in 2025. Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia already topped the 3.5% core mark, while nations like Spain, Canada, and Belgium sat around 2%. The U.S. covered about 60% of the overall tab. What expects allies to commit to a clear path toward 5% at the upcoming summit in Ankara, keeping that transatlantic partnership solid amid global challenges?