EU Urges Increased Defence Spending Amid Security Threats

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, has called for increased defense spending among EU member states, highlighting the urgent need for better funding to counter threats from Russia, which allocates approximately 9% of its GDP to military expenditures. She emphasized that without heightened defenses, essential services like healthcare and education could be jeopardized. Kallas suggested that NATO countries should aim for a defense spending target of 3% of GDP, a significant increase from the current average of 1.9% among EU nations. This call to action comes amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and is part of a broader strategy that includes economic and diplomatic measures to pressure Russia. Meanwhile, in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to boost defense spending beyond his 2.5% target, with some sources advocating for figures as high as 3.8%. The debate over defense spending aligns with concerns about national security and the adequacy of current military capabilities in both the EU and UK contexts.