NATO Reports 11% Rise in European Defense Spending as Trump Presses Allies

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - NATO announced on Tuesday that core defense spending by its European members and Canada is projected to increase by 11 percent in 2026, as leaders from the 32-member alliance gathered in Ankara for a summit dominated by defense spending, the war in Ukraine, and transatlantic security.

According to NATO's latest estimates, defense spending by Europe and Canada will reach $634 billion in 2026, up from $571 billion in 2025, although it remains well below US military expenditure.

The increase follows an approximately 19 percent rise recorded between 2024 and 2025.

The figures were released as US President Donald Trump continued pressing NATO allies to meet their commitment of spending five percent of GDP on broader security-related investment by 2035.

NATO said five member states, including Poland and the Baltic countries, have already reached that target this year, while Slovenia recorded the alliance's lowest core defense spending at 1.61 percent of GDP.

Trump was welcomed personally by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon arriving in Ankara, where the two leaders later met at the Turkish Presidential Palace ahead of the summit's main sessions.

Speaking alongside Erdogan, Trump praised his relationship with the Turkish president.

"It's a chemistry that works between us," Trump said.

He also suggested that he might not have attended the summit had it not been hosted in Türkiye.

"Frankly, if it weren't held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it's possible that I wouldn't have attended," Trump said.

NATO officials expressed hope that the strong personal relationship between Trump and Erdogan could help ease tensions within the alliance following divisions over the recent conflict involving Iran.

In a significant development for Ankara, Trump said Washington would consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye after the country was removed from the program in 2019 following its purchase of a Russian air defense system.

Erdogan welcomed the remarks, saying Trump had personally assured him on the issue.

"Mr. Trump has also personally given us his word on this matter," Erdogan said.

European leaders entered the summit aiming to avoid renewed tensions with Trump, who has repeatedly questioned Washington's long-term commitment to defending its NATO allies.

Trump criticized several European countries for refusing US requests related to military base access during the early stages of the conflict with Iran.

"Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down," he said, describing the requests as a test of allied support.

He also reiterated his longstanding position that Greenland "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark."

Ahead of the summit, NATO members announced billions of dollars in new defense contracts as they sought to demonstrate progress toward higher military spending.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said European allies are fulfilling their commitments by increasing defense budgets and assuming greater responsibility for the continent's security.

"These are billions that are invested in our security, boosting our economies and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs," Rutte said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed that message, stating: "We are building a more European NATO so that it can remain transatlantic."

The war in Ukraine remained a central topic at the summit.

Trump said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin before arriving in Ankara and is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday.

"I think they both want to make a deal," Trump said. "It's too bad it took so long, but I think something's going to come out."

European NATO members and Canada are expected to commit €70 billion annually in military assistance to Ukraine during both 2026 and 2027.

Addressing alliance leaders, Zelensky called for greater support for Ukraine's air defense capabilities.

"Please let more determination and more decisions for air defense be one of the key outcomes of this NATO summit," he said.

The Ukrainian president also renewed his call for NATO membership.

"Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside NATO, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?" Zelensky asked.

Separately, Zelensky announced that Ukraine had signed new defense cooperation agreements on drone technology with Estonia, the Netherlands, and Denmark during the summit.

According to Zelensky, the agreements establish frameworks for joint production, the development of advanced defense technologies, systematic exchanges of expertise, and the export of Ukrainian drone technologies developed during the war.

Ukraine has previously concluded similar agreements with six other countries, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, and Latvia, and plans to sign additional agreements with Germany, Norway, Finland, and Canada.

Kyiv said the country has invested heavily in developing both attack and interceptor drone technologies since Russia's full-scale invasion began, making drones a central element of Ukraine's defense capabilities.