Responding to Trump's Pressure, NATO: European and Canadian Defense Spending to Increase by 11% in 2026

(Central News Agency, Ankara, July 7, Comprehensive Foreign News) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced today that under pressure from U.S. President Trump for allies to fulfill their commitments to increase defense budgets, core defense spending in Europe and Canada has increased by 11% this year.

According to Agence France-Presse, the latest data was released as leaders of the 32-member NATO alliance met with Trump at a summit in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

NATO estimates that defense spending in Europe and Canada will increase from $571 billion last year to $634 billion this year, but this is still far below U.S. military spending. This increase is lower than the approximately 19% growth seen between 2024 and 2025.

Trump has urged his allies in Washington to accelerate their pace in fulfilling their commitment to increase overall defense-related spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.

NATO stated that five countries, including Poland and the three Baltic states, have already met this target this year. (Intern Editor: Luo Yien / Editor: Chen Yuting) 1150708)

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