NATO defense ministers are proposing a 5% annual investment in defense spending by member nations to enhance defensive capabilities during a meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

European allies and Canada have already been investing heavily in their armed forces, as well as on weapons and ammunition, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed confidence that NATO allies will agree to increase the minimum defense spending requirement, which the Trump administration has advocated. Since his first administration,

The war in Ukraine and the existential threat that Russia poses to European security has topped NATO’s agenda in each of its summits since 2022

"I invited Ukraine to the summit. We will as soon as possible bring out the programme with more details," Rutte told reporters before a meeting with defence ministers in Brussels. Asked whether Zelenskiy personally had been invited,