Five NATO members seen to spend over 3.5% of GDP on core defense this year, alliance estimates show | eKathimerini.com

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte gestures as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Wednesday. [AP]

Five NATO members are projected to meet the alliance’s goal of spending 3.5% of gross domestic product on core defense already in 2026, according to updated NATO data published on Tuesday ahead of a leaders’ summit in Ankara, which also showed some members are still expected to spend only about 2%.

At a summit in The ⁠Hague last year, NATO leaders ⁠pledged to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defense items such as weapons and troops by 2035 – up from a ​previous goal of 2%.

They also ⁠agreed to invest a further 1.5% of GDP on broader defense-related investments such as boosting cybersecurity.

Alliance members ⁠have faced pressure from ‌U.S. President Donald ⁠Trump to demonstrate they are stepping up on defense spending.