Record number of Nato allies ‘expected to hit defence spending target’

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg announced the estimated figure on Monday (Virginia Mayo/AP)

A record more than 20 Nato member nations are expected to hit the Western military alliance’s defence spending target this year, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, as the war in Ukraine drives worldwide concerns.

The estimated figure, announced by Mr Stoltenberg during a talk at the Wilson Centre in Washington, marks a near fourfold increase from 2021 in the ranks of the 32 Nato member nations meeting the alliance’s defence spending guideline.