NATO defense ministers are proposing a 5% annual investment in defense spending by member nations to enhance defensive capabilities during a meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

Since his first administration, President Donald Trump has stressed the need for U.S. allies to take on more of the burden to offset what he has said are decades of them taking advantage of the United States.

European allies and Canada have already been investing heavily in their armed forces, as well as on weapons and ammunition, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The war in Ukraine and the existential threat that Russia poses to European security has topped NATO’s agenda in each of its summits since 2022

"I invited Ukraine to the summit. We will as soon as possible bring out the programme with more details," Rutte told reporters before a meeting with defence ministers in Brussels. Asked whether Zelenskiy personally had been invited,