Lithuania, Estonia pledge 5% defense spending, following Trump's call, FT reports

Lithuania and Estonia have become the first NATO members to meet U.S. President Donald Trump's call to raise defense spending to more than 5% of GDP, Financial Times reported on Jan. 27.

Trump reiterated his demand on Jan. 7, urging NATO allies to increase their defense contributions beyond the current 2% benchmark, citing the need for Europe to take greater responsibility for its security amid Russia's ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, reportedly described the shift as part of a "new era," with Vilnius committing to spending between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defense annually until at least 2030.

Estonia followed suit, with Prime Minister Kristen Michal pledging to raise defense spending from 3.7% of GDP to 5%.

This would put the Baltic nations well ahead of most NATO members and even the United States, which allocated 3.38% of its GDP to defense in 2024.

In July, Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his country would spend 5% of its GDP on defense in 2025, becoming the first NATO country to do so.

North Korean troops seem to temporarily withdraw from one section of front in Kursk Oblast, military says

North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector of the front, according to Sky News.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

The announcements come as NATO members debate raising the alliance-wide defense spending target to 3% of GDP by 2030, still below Trump's proposed 5% benchmark.

While 24 member states met the current 2% target in 2024, several, including Italy, Canada, and Spain, remain below this threshold. Poland led NATO in defense spending last year, allocating 4.12% of GDP, followed by Estonia and the U.S.

Trump's pressure on NATO allies to increase defense budgets reflects his long-standing criticism of what he perceives as Europe's reliance on American security guarantees.

His remarks in February 2024 — threatening to let Russia "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO members failing to meet spending criteria — sparked international outrage, raising concerns about his commitment to the alliance's collective defense principle.

Trump needs to ‘understand where the threat is,’ UK lawmaker says

U.S. President Donald Trump needs to “understand where the threat is” and not “force Ukraine into a bad deal,” U.K. lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith told the Kyiv Independent. In an interview in Kyiv alongside another U.K. lawmaker Layla Moran on Jan. 22, Smith urged Trump not to

The Kyiv IndependentChris York