Boris Johnson urges NATO to increase military spending

• Only 8 of NATO’s 30 countries met or exceeded this target in 2021.
• Germany and Italy have increased defence spending this year owing to the Ukraine war.
• Britain has given Ukraine £1.3 billion in military aid (1.5 billion euros) since Russia’s incursion.

Boris Johnson will encourage NATO members to increase defence expenditure during a summit in Madrid, his office said Tuesday.

After Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, NATO members promised to spend 2% of their GDP on defence by 2024.

Only 8 of NATO’s 30 countries met or exceeded this target in 2021, but Germany and Italy have increased defence spending this year owing to the Ukraine war.

According to a statement from his office, Johnson will say at the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday that “We need allies—all allies—to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defence in the decade ahead.”

“The two percent was always meant to be a floor, not a ceiling, and allies must continue to step up in this time of crisis,” he would say.

On the aircraft to Madrid, the British prime minister said NATO needed to discuss defence spending after 2024.

The British government stated in a statement that NATO “must adapt to meet new and increased threats” with “long-term investment” and a willingness “to surge defence spending to adapt to crises and urgent needs.”

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Johnson will also announce that Britain will strengthen its military presence in Estonia with more powerful weaponry and air defence.

Since Russia’s incursion, Britain has given Ukraine £1.3 billion in military aid (1.5 billion euros).

The opposition and some MPs in his own party accuse him of breaking his election promise to increase military expenditure in 2022 above inflation, which is estimated to touch over 10% this year.

Ben Wallace, his defence secretary, has advocated expanding defence expenditure to 2.5% of Britain’s GDP by 2028.

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