NATO chief vows to ‘push hard’ for increased defense spending

‘We live in a more dangerous world that demands more defense investment,’ says Jens Stoltenberg.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that he will “push hard” at the upcoming NATO leaders’ summit for a “much stronger commitment” to defense spending than the current requirement of 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

During a conversation at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit along with former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Jens Stoltenberg stressed that he hoped “in Vilnius, we will be able to agree on a much stronger commitment” where the 2% of GDP is perceived as a “floor and minimum” not “as a ceiling.”

Stoltenberg, who joined the event by a video link, vowed to “push hard for a consensus as we live in a more dangerous world that demands more defense investment.”

He also mentioned that NATO heads of state and government are expected to adopt a “multi-year assistance package” to transform the Ukrainian army from Soviet-era to modern NATO standards.

Leaders of South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia will also participate in the NATO summit slated to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12.