ANKARA, Turkiye — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that U.S. President Donald Trump has successfully pushed Canada and its European allies to increase their military spending, noting that alliance members increasingly recognize the direct security threats facing them.
Speaking ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Carney shared details of a Sunday night phone call with Trump, reassuring him that defence spending across Europe and Canada is rising in response to persistent U.S. pressure and mounting concerns over Russian aggression.
“It’s not just that he’s winning the argument — he’s won the argument,” Carney told reporters on Wednesday. “Countries realize they need to take more responsibility. They see the direct threats.”
Carney acknowledged that Trump’s primary objective has been to rebalance the alliance’s financial burden away from Washington. “The president is looking for a shift of the burden within NATO. That’s appropriate. That is happening. It is gaining momentum,” Carney added, noting that the U.S. President arrived at the summit in a “good mood.”
Canada Shifts to Aggressive Spending Target
Addressing Canadian reporters later, Carney confirmed that Ottawa is launching an aggressive ramp-up in military investments. He revealed that when he took office, Canada was spending just 1.4% of its GDP on defence. Under new plans, Canada projects that spending will soar to 4% of GDP by the NATO definition before the end of the decade.
Carney emphasized that a newly announced submarine procurement program has already been factored into the government’s fiscal framework and will not negatively disrupt the upcoming federal budget. “The money has already been set aside,” he stated.
The submarine initiative anchors a broader, multi-billion-dollar defence package unveiled this week, which includes:
- Arctic Satellites: An agreement in principle with Telesat to leverage its Lightspeed satellite constellation for secure military communications in the Arctic.
- Missile Procurement: An approximately $800-million contract with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace for Joint Strike Missiles to equip Canada’s future fighter jets.
- Fleet Modernization: A revised domestic procurement process to acquire 1,600 to 2,100 light utility vehicles and up to 500 trailers.
- Mission Extension: Extending Canada’s military mission in Latvia by two additional years through 2031, with provisions for increased troop deployment.
NATO Chief Echoes Credit to Trump
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte echoed Carney’s sentiments during his opening remarks, directly crediting the U.S. President with correcting a decades-long imbalance in transatlantic spending.
“President Trump has been able to finally get done what, since Eisenhower, American presidents tried to do, which was to equalize defence spending between Europe and the United States,” Rutte said.
Rutte closed with a stern warning to foreign adversaries, emphasizing that the one-billion-strong alliance remains fiercely united in its commitment to collective defence. “We will defend every inch of our territory,” Rutte said. “You cannot win from NATO. We are defensive. We will never attack anyone. We will only defend our way of life, our democracies, our territory. So don’t fool with us, don’t play with us.”
