REPLAY: NATO Secretary General annual report for 2025

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported Thursday that European allies and Canada increased defense spending by 20% in 2025 compared with the prior year, signaling a sharp acceleration in military investment across the alliance. The spending surge reflects growing pressure on NATO members to bolster their militaries amid Russian aggression and geopolitical instability, as well as Trump administration demands that allies shoulder greater defense burdens. Rutte urged NATO members to maintain this momentum and move toward a 5% defense spending target by the time of the next NATO Summit in Ankara, emphasizing that a "strong transatlantic bond remains essential in an age of global uncertainty." The report underscores a fundamental shift in NATO's fiscal priorities, with most members now surpassing the long-standing 2% NATO guideline that was long considered ambitious. The alliance is attempting to formalize higher spending commitments before the Ankara summit, signaling this elevated level of defense investment is expected to become the new baseline for member nations.