What countries are in Nato and how much do they spend on defence?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to meet a new Nato target to spend 5% of the UK's GDP on national security by 2035.Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on members to commit 3.5% on core defence spending, and the remaining 1.5% on related areas such as resilience and cyber-security.Members are expected to agree the 5% goal at a two-day Nato summit in the Netherlands.
What is Nato and why was it set up?
Nato - the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - was formed in Washington DC in 1949 by 12 countries.The founding members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK and the US.
Nato's primary purpose was to block expansion in Europe by the former Soviet Union - a group of communist republics which included Russia.Members agree that if one of them is attacked, the others will help defend it.Nato does not have its own army, but member states can take collective military action in response to international crises.For instance, the alliance supported the UN by intervening in the war in the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 2004.It also co-ordinates military plans and carries out joint military exercises.
Which countries are Nato members?
Nato has 32 members across Europe and North America - the original 12 founders plus 20 countries which have joined since 1949.After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, many Eastern European countries became members, including Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Finland - which has a 1,340km (832 mile) land border with Russia - joined in April 2023. Sweden became a member in March 2024.Having been neutral for decades, both applied to Nato in May 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia have also asked to join.
How much do Nato members spend on defence?
Nato members are currently expected to spend 2% of their national income, or GDP on defence. The US and countries which are close to Russia - such as Poland and the Baltic states - have traditionally spent the most on defence.It is thought that 23 countries met the 2% target in 2024, compared to only three in 2014.
The new split 5% target is seen as a concession to US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged European Nato allies to boost defence spending. The US currently spends 3.4%. Nato chief Rutte said the US had agreed to meet the new target, although Trump later suggested it might not. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said France, Germany, the Baltic and Nordic countries, Poland, Greece and Hungary backed the 5% pledge.Spain - which spent just 1.24% of GDP on defence in 2024 - said it had secured an opt-out from the new spending plan, something Rutte later denied.In February, Sir Keir set out plans to increase the UK's core defence spending to 2.5% by April 2027 and expressed a "clear ambition" to reach 3% by 2034 if economic conditions allowed.The government has now said it will spend 2.6% on core defence and 1.5% on wider security measures by 2027. Core defence spending is not expected to hit 3.5% until 2035.It has not confirmed how it will fund the additional spending.
Why isn't Ukraine a member of Nato?
Russia has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine becoming a member, fearing it would bring Nato forces too close to its borders.However, in 2008, the alliance said that Ukraine could eventually join.After Russia's invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for this process to be fast-tracked.Former Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine could join "in the long term" but not until after the war ended.
However, speaking at a defence summit in Brussels in February 2025, Defence Secretary Hegseth said "the US does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement".Some Nato defence chiefs pushed back against the comments.Zelensky later said he was prepared to "give up" his presidency if it meant Ukraine could join Nato."If to achieve peace you really need me to give up my post, I'm ready," he told reporters."I can trade it for Nato membership."Nato previously described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the "most significant and direct threat to allies' security".It has not sent troops to Ukraine or enforced a no-fly zone over the country for fear of being pulled into a direct conflict with Russia.However, individual member states have supplied arms and equipment.According to the German research organisation the Kiel Institute, the US spent 65bn euros (£55.6bn) on military support between February 2022 and April 2025 - although no new aid was allocated in March or April. European Nato members provided aid worth 72bn euros (£61.6bn) over the same period.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Starmer: No tax rises on working people to reach 5% defence spending pledge
The Prime Minister is meeting leaders of other Nato member countries in The Hague, where they are expected to formally agree the target, made up of 3.5% on 'core defence' and another 1.5% on 'resilience and security'. He rejected that tax rises would be needed to pay for higher defence spending. 'Every time we've set out our defence spending commitments, so when we went to 2.5% in 2027/28, we set out precisely how we would pay for it, that didn't involve tax rises. 'Clearly we've got commitments in our manifesto about not making tax rises on working people and we will stick to our manifesto commitments,' the Prime Minister told reporters in the Netherlands. Sir Keir Starmer said tax rises would not be needed to pay for higher defence spending (Kin Cheung/PA) He said the current commitment to get defence spending up to 2.5% of GDP by 2027/8 was not coming at the expense of welfare, but rather from cuts to overseas development aid. 'So, it's a misdescription to suggest that the defence spending commitment we've made is at the expense of money on welfare.' Donald Trump is among the world leaders at the summit, and told reporters on the way to the Netherlands that it would depend 'on your definition' when asked if he would commit to Nato's Article 5, which requires members to defend each other from attack. At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Sir Keir underscored that national security is the 'first duty' of Government. His trip comes as the Government publishes its national security strategy, setting out plans to make the UK 'more resilient to future threats'. Downing Street has described the 5% goal as 'a projected target' that allies will review in 2029 when Nato carries out its next capability assessment. It is a significant jump from the current 2% Nato target, and from the UK Government's aim of spending 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence from 2027 and 3% at some point after the next election. But the figure is in line with the demands of US President Donald Trump, who has called for Nato allies to shoulder more of the burden of European defence. The Government expects to spend 1.5% of GDP on resilience and security by 2027. The Prime Minister is meeting leaders of other Nato member countries in The Hague (Ben Stansall/PA) The details of what counts towards that target are due to be set out during this week's summit, but it is likely to include spending on energy and border security as well as intelligence agencies. But increasing core defence spending to 3.5% will not happen until 2035, with at least two elections likely to take place before then. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that an increase in core defence spending from 2.6% to 3.5% would cost around £30 billion more a year. It noted however that the plans concern spending far in the future – due in 10 years' time – and therefore may not affect the Government's spending review or autumn budget decisions, but prompt the chancellor to revise plans at the 2027 spending review. Spending 3.5% of national income on defence is 'certainly not unprecedented' but much more is now spent on health than in the past, IFS researcher Bee Boileau noted. Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said the Government had not been clear enough about how it would reach the core defence spending goal, claiming ministers had only offered 'smoke and mirrors'. She added: 'So, when will he actually deliver a plan to get to 2%, and why won't he heed our calls to hit 3% by the end of this Parliament, which would be vital, and a vital stepping stone on the way to that higher defence spending that he is seeking.' The Nato gathering comes amid the backdrop of escalating Middle East tensions and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Sir Keir has urged Israel and Iran to get back to the fragile ceasefire brokered by Donald Trump. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at 10 Downing Street (Jeff Moore/PA) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the summit, but not take part in the main discussions of the North Atlantic Council. Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte described the move to spend more on defence as a 'quantum leap' that would make the organisation 'a stronger, a fairer and a more lethal alliance'. But it was reported on Sunday that Spain had reached a deal that would see it exempted from the 5% target. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain would be able to keep its commitments to the 32-nation military alliance by spending 2.1% of GDP on defence needs.
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How Trump turned the air blue as his ceasefire nearly unravelled
Donald Trump went to bed believing he had secured a ceasefire in the Middle East. He woke up to news that Israel was about to unleash its warplanes on Iran after being targeted by rocket strikes. His fury was clear when he spoke to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House. 'They've been fighting for so long and so hard they don't know what the f--- they're doing,' he said, before turning on his heel and stalking off towards Marine One, the presidential helicopter. He was on his way to the Hague for a Nato summit. Organisers had gone out of the way to tailor the event to Mr Trump, shortening it to a single meeting, putting spending commitments at the heart of the discussion, and giving him a night in a royal palace. But if the US president thought his trip to the Hague would be a victory lap – for ending Iran's nuclear weapons programme and limiting Tehran's retaliation – then Iran and Israel had other ideas. And, as Mr Trump transferred from his helicopter to Air Force One for the flight to the Netherlands, he kept up his stream of public posts and private diplomacy as he tried to make good on his promise not to allow the US to be dragged into another foreign war. 'ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION,' he posted on his Truth Social platform in all capitals. 'BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW! DONALD J TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.' A carefully coordinated negotiation was coming unstuck. A day earlier he had spoken with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, to set out the proposed terms of a ceasefire, according to Politico. His next call was with Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, who would act as a go-between with the Iranians. JD Vance, his vice-president, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, were also involved in that side of the conversation, according to a source familiar with how it all unfolded. The deal was done by the end of the afternoon. Tehran was ready for a ceasefire because after days of strikes it was in a badly 'weakened state', said a White House official. A first six-hour window would allow both sides to complete their 'final missions'. Iran would be the first to enter the truce, followed by Israel after 12 hours. After another 12 hours the war would be over. 'THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!' he posted late on Monday night, using Truth Social as if it were the official government gazette. Minutes after the deadline, air raid sirens were sounding across Israel. 'At 07.06am, Iran launched one missile at Israeli territory, and two additional missiles at 10.25am,' said Mr Netanyahu's office in a statement. Explosions sounded around the Iranian capital Tehran. By the time Mr Trump left the White House he had tough words to give both sides. But he reserved most of his fury for Israel. He even suggested that Iran's ceasefire-breaking missiles had been launched by accident. 'I'm not happy that Israel's going out now,' he told reporters who had gathered to watch him leave, as Israeli jets were in the air. 'There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard [by Iran]. It was after the time limit, and it missed its target. And now Israel's going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous...' He telephoned Mr Netanyahu as he flew out of Washington. A White House official told The Telegraph that the president had been 'exceptionally firm and direct' with the Israeli prime minister about what would happen next. 'The prime minister understood the severity of the situation and the concerns president Trump expressed,' they said. And a statement soon followed from the Israelis saying that they had destroyed a radar station. 'Pursuant to the conversation between president Trump and prime minister Netanyahu, Israel has refrained from additional attacks,' it said. Mr Trump described the call when he strolled to the back of Air Force One to chat with reporters. 'Yeah. I said, you've got to turn back the planes,' he said, with Mr Rubio standing just behind him. 'They hit him very hard after we made the deal yesterday... it shouldn't have happened.' The ceasefire was battered and bruised but held for the rest of Mr Trump's six and a half hour flight from the East Coast. His Truth Social feed soon filled with more routine affairs. He shared headlines from the New York Post, his favourite newspaper, reposted calls for him to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and published a lengthy rant about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the liberal congresswoman, who had just been featured on Fox News. His plane landed in the evening sun at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. As he disembarked, he paused at the top of the steps to put a white 'USA' cap over his blond hair. Staff used to say you could tell his mood from his hat: Red signalled anger, white signalled contentment. In recent weeks they may have taken on different symbolism. His white hat, long sidelined. has appeared at key moments as he chases peace. 'Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally!' he posted earlier on Truth Social, as he took the credit for halting hostilities. 'It was my great honour to destroy all nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!'
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
MPs to discuss slavery reparations
MPs are set to discuss slavery reparations with a delegation from the Caribbean. A group of activists and academics will travel to Westminster to make their case, which could include demands for Britain to pay trillions of pounds. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, have been invited, the Telegraph has been informed. Insiders said there had been plans for Mr Lammy to host a 'Caricom forum' which would hear submissions about reparations. However, sources said this was pushed back. Caricom refers to the Caribbean Community, a supranational body representing nations in the region. It is understood the events are intended to make the case for reparative justice. There had been hopes among campaigners that Mr Lammy, of Guyanese descent, and Labour generally might be sympathetic to their cause. The Tories refused repeatedly to countenance discussing it. Pressure was brought to bear on Sir Keir at the 2024 Commonwealth summit in Samoa where the issue was forced onto the official agenda but No 10 publicly ruled out payments. Mr Lammy, who was there, had suggested that reparations need not be a 'cash transfer' but could include 'other forms of non-financial reparatory justice too'. The UK signed off on the Commonwealth summit statement which set out the need for 'inclusive conversations' about reparations for slavery, and the need to address 'chattel enslavement… dispossession of indigenous people, indentureship, colonialism' in order to move to a 'future based on equity'. The delegation will be hosted in Parliament on July 2 by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who heads the all-party parliament group on Afrikan reparations and is a staunch supporter of the cause. Events have been organised and supported by the Repair Campaign, a group which supports Caribbean efforts to secure reparations. The group was founded by Denis O'Brien, the Irish billionaire owner of telecoms giant Digicel. He has overseen the creation of development packages tailored to the needs of Caribbean nations and funded by former colonial powers. Voters of Caribbean descent Baroness Chapman, Minister of State for Development, has also been invited to meet the Caribbean delegation, along with members of the foreign affairs committee. It is understood that invitations have been extended to MPs representing constituencies with a high proportion of voters of Caribbean descent. Events will be held at Portcullis House on the parliamentary estate. Before coming to London, the delegation will travel to Brussels to argue that former slave-trading powers including France and the Netherlands should support paying compensation for the exploitation of enslaved Africans. It includes members of the Reparations Commission for Caricom. The commission has spent more than a decade pushing for Britain to agree to a 10-point plan for reparations, which has been repeatedly rebuffed. Uriel Sabajo will represent the Suriname committee, and Carla Astaphan will be in London to represent St Kitts & Nevis, a former British colony. While they are connected to Caricom, the delegation is not an official group sent by the commission itself. Other delegates expected in London include leading professors from the University of the West Indies, along with Mr O'Brien and his colleagues. British supporters of the movement, including Dr Michael Banner, author and Dean and Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, will also attend.
