NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) and Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg at a NATO-Ukraine meeting last year. (Photo: Ukrainian President Press Office)
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
The NATO General Secretary’s Annual Report 2023 noted that in 2024 it would expect two-thirds of allies will meet or exceed the target of investing 2% of GDP in defence as spending increased by 11% across Europe and Canada in 2023.
A key action noted by the report was the establishment of NATO-Ukraine Council, a new joint body where Allies and Ukraine sit as equal members to advance political dialogue, cooperation, and Ukraine’s membership aspirations.
The council became fully operational in the second half of 2023 with the establishment of a committee structure to support dialogue and joint action in
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