Nato boss says some member countries back on track
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that 18 of the alliance's 31 countries are set to hit its defence spending target this year, after Donald Trump threatened to encourage Russia to attack members not coughing up enough. The Republican White House frontrunner was widely rebuked after saying he would not defend Nato members who had not met their financial obligations, in his most extreme broadside yet against the organisation. Trump's comments in a Saturday stump speech drew condemnation from leaders including US President Joe Biden -- his likely opponent in November's election -- and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Stoltenberg laid out new defence spending estimates showing the number of states reaching two percent of their gross domestic product was expected to jump from 11 in 2023. "That is another record number and a six-fold increase from 2014 when only three allies met the target," Stoltenberg told journalists ahead of a defence ministers' meeting. The NATO chief did not provide a breakdown of which allies are hitting the target. Overall though, he said European allies and Canada will have added more than US$600 billion to their defence spending since they set the two-percent goal a decade ago. Spurred on by Russia's war with Ukraine, last year saw an "unprecedented rise" of 11 percent of spending by European members and Canada, the Nato chief added. Stoltenberg reiterated a warning to Trump not to "undermine" NatoO's collective security guarantee that all allies will help defend any member attacked. "We should leave no room for miscalculation or misunderstanding in Moscow about our readiness and our commitment, our resolve to protect allies," he said. During his time as US president, Trump railed against Washington's Nato allies to pressure them to spend more on defence -- and he has claimed credit for increased spending. (AFP)