Norway to meet 5% NATO goal on defence, security spending, prime minister says
FILE PHOTO: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere speaks during a public discussion ahead of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in Tallinn, Estonia December 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo
OSLO - Norway plans to raise its defence spending to 3.5% of the country's GDP, and also aims to use an additional 1.5% for broader security related purposes, its prime minister said on Friday, in line with a planned common goal among NATO states.
NATO chief Mark Rutte has proposed that member nations should agree at a June 24-25 meeting in The Hague to aim for spending of a total of 5% of their gross domestic product on defence and broader security measures.
"We must do more to secure our country and contribute to our common security with our allies in NATO," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a press conference on Friday.
The 3.5% spending includes Norway's financial support to Ukraine's military defence, he said.
Norway in 2024 spent an estimated 2.2% of GDP on defence, up from a low of 1.4% in 2022, the national statistics agency (SSB) said in April, and the government said in May it aims to spend 3.3% in 2025. REUTERS
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