Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly take in the view from the Gediminas Castle tower in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, July 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
VILNIUS, Lithuania – NATO leaders have pledged to spend more on national defence, even as Canada and others are failing to meet the previous target.
A statement released this afternoon in Vilnius, Lithuania, says NATO members pledge to make two per cent of GDP the minimum spend each year, with one-fifth of that going to equipment.
The allies say they acknowledge that more is needed urgently to meet their commitments as members of the military alliance.
Only about a third of the 31 members are spending two per cent or more on defence.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says her message to allies is that the threat from Russia is real and that more is needed.
She and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met earlier today, and she thanked him for Canada’s commitment to send more troops and more money to a NATO mission in Latvia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2023.
