All 32 members of NATO are on track to meet the contribution commitments they agreed to in 2014, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday.
Leaders of NATO member countries have been meeting in Washington this week as part of its annual summit, where Ukraine's defense has been the primary issue.
“The broad message coming out of the summit is not just unity but purpose and resolve and strength from the NATO alliance on our 75th anniversary,” Sullivan said.
A decade ago, NATO members agreed to pay 2% of their annual gross domestic product for defense spending to ensure military readiness. At the time, European Allies and Canada contributed 1.43% of their combined GDP. This year, NATO members will invest a combined total of more than $430 billion in defense.
Heading into this week’s NATO Summit, 23 of NATO’s 32 member countries met the 2% GDP threshold, up from nine in 2021.
During his time in office, former President Donald Trump routinely berated European allies for their over-reliance on the U.S. for military support and funding and their failure to meet NATO financial commitments.
Sullivan said Canada is “the final ally that doesn’t have a plan in place for 2%” and “is getting one in place, so we’ve got all 32 allies now on track to get to 2%.”
This week’s NATO Summit is taking place as the organization celebrates 75 years of a collective defense pact. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 after World War II to counteract Soviet aggressions toward Europe.
The 2014 Defence Investment Pledge was developed in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea as well as instability in the Middle East, NATO says on its website.