Ankara: NATO leaders began their official meetings Wednesday morning in the Turkish capital, Ankara, focusing on ensuring the security of member states.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his opening address to the NATO leaders’ summit, confirmed that his country had allocated an additional $24 billion to the “Iron Dome” project to bolster its air and missile defense capabilities. He noted that Turkey had taken the necessary steps to reach its 5% defense spending target by 2030. Erdogan stressed the need to lift restrictions on defense industries among NATO member states and called for non-EU NATO member states not to be excluded from European defense plans.

The issue of increasing the alliance’s defense spending is expected to be a key topic of discussion during these meetings, a point insisted upon by US President Donald Trump. Experts specializing in the alliance’s current state and direction expect member states’ defense spending to rise significantly this year, reaching approximately $1.81 trillion, as the alliance strives to enhance its military readiness and address growing security challenges.

Data published by the alliance indicates that total defense spending by member states is projected to reach $1.809 trillion this year, compared to $1.630 trillion in 2025 and $1.483 trillion in 2024, representing an increase of nearly 11 percent year-on-year. The United States continues to lead the list of the largest defense spenders within the alliance, with its military expenditure expected to reach $1.033 trillion.

Regarding the ratio of defense spending to GDP, the alliance estimates that Lithuania will lead the member states at 5.33%. Official data also revealed that 17 NATO member states are on track to achieve the target of allocating 1.5% of their GDP to defense and security investments by 2026, aligning with decisions made at the 2025 Hague Summit.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the burden of defense within NATO is gradually shifting from the United States to Canada and European countries, stating that his country will increase its defense spending to 4 percent of its GDP within two years. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for the rearmament of Europe and for strengthening NATO’s capabilities.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on NATO members to unite in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that his country is modernizing its army with a budget of 25 billion euros.

The summit, which began on Tuesday, will continue for two days, focusing on enhancing joint defense production and transatlantic investments.