While NATO countries living near the Russian border pay well over two percent of their GDP on defence, those further away pay less.

Twenty-two of the US-led defence alliance's 30 European members met the minimum target for military spending in 2024, but that differed from place to place.

On the eve of a meeting of NATO defence ministers, the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that NATO members should pay "considerably more" for their defence. US President Donald Trump has demanded an increase to five percent of national output.

Poland led the pack in 2024, with a marked increase in its defence spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.

Its spending grew from 1.88 percent of GDP in 2014 to 2.23 percent in 2022,........

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