U.S. President Donald Trump has “won the argument” in his push for members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to spend more on their militaries, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.
“It’s not just he’s winning the argument, he’s won the argument,” Carney told reporters in Ankara, Türkiye, where NATO’s annual summit is being held this week.
“Countries recognize that they need to take more responsibility, see the direct threats,” the prime minister said, naming Russia as a “direct adversary” on Canada’s “Arctic front.”
Trump has for years lashed out at NATO members, including Canada, as freeloaders. In 2024, he said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries that didn’t spent enough on their own militaries.
NATO previously set a military spending target for its members at 2 per cent of GDP. Under previous prime minister Justin Trudeau, Canada never hit that target.
When Trump returned to power in 2025, he more than doubled the spending target to 5 per cent of national GDP.
Carney’s government has spent billions of dollars to hit the 2-per-cent threshold, and promises to meet the 5-per-cent mark by 2035. The government is pouring money into ships, jets, dockyards, combat training centres and housing for Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
Trump’s decision to raise the NATO spending threshold — and Carney’s decision to meet it — will cost Canada $68.2 billion a year more than it would have to meet the previous target, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
By comparison, the total annual spending of Environment and Climate Change Canada, including the retention of 7,868 full-time staff, is $1.7 billion.
Every NATO country except Spain has promised to hit the 5-per-cent target.
For the first time in history, another NATO member has outpaced the U.S. in per capita spending. Norway now spends USD$3,026 per person on its military, while the U.S. spends $2,460.
Still, Trump’s complaints about NATO allies continued Wednesday. “I’m not happy with NATO,” the president said. He specifically lashed out at Spain, saying, “I don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
In March, Spain also rejected U.S. requests to use military bases on Spanish territory to attack Iran. Spain also criticized the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, calling it an “unjustified and dangerous military intervention.”
Trump Wanted ‘Offensive Support’
On Wednesday, Carney said that Trump had wanted “offensive” participation from NATO allies in Iran.
“The alliance is a defensive alliance. It’s not an offensive alliance,” Carney said.
“Yes, the president of the United States had a desire for more offensive support with respect to the Iran conflict. It wasn’t a direct ask of Canada. We didn’t have the capabilities. We’re not relevant from a base perspective in that theatre. And that’s between him and specific NATO allies.”
The prime minister said he supports the latest U.S. attacks on Iran, calling it an “appropriate” response.
