A record number of NATO allies are hitting their defense spending target during war in Ukraine

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and SEUNG MIN KIM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says a record 23 of NATO’s 32 member nations are hitting the Western military alliance’s defense spending target this year as Russia’s war in Ukraine has raised the threat of expanding conflict in Europe. Stoltenberg made the announcement Monday during a talk at the Wilson Center in Washington before meeting with President Joe Biden later at the White House. The estimated figure is a nearly fourfold increase from 2021, the year before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO allies agreed last year to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. Stoltenberg’s visit comes ahead of a NATO leaders summit in Washington next month.