SIPRI director assesses NATO countries' ability to increase defense spending

In 2024, global defense spending will increase even more, with the greatest growth likely to come from the United States, Russia, China and Europe. Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm Institute for Peace Research (SIPRI), said in an interview with Izvestia.

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"This is the highest level ever. We expect that when we collect data for 2024, probably the figure [of global defense spending] will increase even more, but I don't know by how much. Most of that increase will be concentrated in Europe, Russia, China, and the United States. China has increased its military spending every year for the last 28 years, it has been the most consistent in its increases. Russia and most European countries have been up and down in the rankings, but the last decade has seen an upward trend," Smith said.

At the same time, he noted that an even greater increase in defense spending is possible, but NATO members are unlikely to agree to raise it to 5 percent of GDP, as U.S. President Donald Trump wants.

"I think it is possible. There is a lot of pressure on European NATO countries to set higher spending amounts. President Trump has said he wants 5%. I think it's unlikely that the European member states will agree to that. I think Canada is also unlikely to do that. But they may decide to agree to 3%. The decision will be taken at the summit in The Hague in June," the expert added.

Read more in Izvestia's exclusive piece:

"The figure of global defense spending will increase even more."