U.S. Defense Secretary Praises NATO Members' Progress on Defense Spending, Warns Some Must 'Do More'

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised NATO member states for their progress in meeting defense spending commitments, while warning that some allies still need to "do more" to fulfill their obligations to the alliance. NATO requires its 32 member countries to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense — a benchmark that many European members struggled to meet for years but have been increasing efforts to reach following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The remarks reflect ongoing pressure from Washington on European allies to shoulder a greater share of collective defense costs, a position that has been a consistent theme of U.S. foreign policy across multiple administrations but has intensified under the current political climate in Washington.