NATO: Boris Johnson calls on Allies to increase military spending

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call on his NATO allies meeting in Madrid on Wednesday to increase military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Downing Street said on Tuesday.

NATO: Boris Johnson calls on Allies to increase military spending

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call on his NATO allies meeting in Madrid on Wednesday to increase military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Downing Street said on Tuesday.

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NATO countries pledged in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, to increase their defense budget to 2% of their GDP by 2024.

Only eight of the 30 member countries had met or exceeded this target by 2021, but since then many countries are rearming due to the war in Ukraine.

"We need the allies, all the allies, to draw deep into their resources to restore deterrence and ensure defense in the decade to come," Boris Johnson is due to declare Wednesday at the summit of the organization in Madrid, according to a Downing Street press release.

"The 2% has always been designed as a floor, not a ceiling, and the allies must continue to mobilize in this period of crisis", he must add.

Due to the war in Ukraine, NATO must adapt to “new and stronger threats”, explains the British government.

Boris Johnson arrives at the NATO summit with the commitment to strengthen the British military presence in Estonia, a Baltic country bordering Russia.

London will also contribute to the transformation announced by NATO of its Response Force, which will increase to more than 300,000 men against 40,000 currently.

London has provided massive military support to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, totaling 1.3 billion pounds (1.5 billion euros).

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