On Tuesday, June 24, the leaders of NATO’s 32 member countries convened in The Hague for a two-day summit, during which all members—except Spain—pledged to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

The European Council meeting follows closely after Wednesday’s NATO summit, where 32 allied countries pledged to achieve a defense spending target of 5 percent of GDP by 2035.

Military experts warned that Europe's current defense capabilities and planned enhancements are insufficient to deter its military adversaries.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Thursday that he will propose a new defense spending target of 5% of GDP at the upcoming Hague summit to bolster allied deterrence in response to increasing global threats.

By Tural Heybatov

In June, The Hague will host a NATO summit that is already drawing heightened attention.

G7 defense ministers started talks on Saturday against a backdrop of escalation in the Middle East and mounting pressure on Ukraine as it faces another winter of fighting, News.Az reports citing Voice of America.

NATO allies are "stronger than we’ve ever been," US President Joe Biden has said as transatlantic allies kick-start two days of intensive multilateral meetings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Wednesday in the US to discuss Kyiv's air defenses.