US Urges NATO Allies to Boost Defense Spending to 5% of GDP

While the trade war between Canada and the US threatens to slow down the economy, the Trump administration has urged Canada and other NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP. This request was made during a meeting held in Brussels on Thursday.

Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly attended the meeting. She pointed out that the US itself does not meet that target. Meanwhile, during the election campaign in Quebec, when journalists asked Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre whether the US had urged NATO members to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, he responded by stating that Canada would decide for itself how much to spend on its military.

Canada currently spends only 1.37 percent of its GDP on defense. To meet NATO's current target, Canada has committed to increasing defense spending to 2 percent by 2030.