BRUSSELS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - All NATO members will hit a

longstanding target of spending 2% of GDP on defence this year

but only three currently reach a new, higher goal set by

alliance leaders in June, NATO data released on Thursday showed.

Many NATO countries have substantially increased military

spending in recent years, following Russia's 2022 invasion of

Ukraine and demands by U.S. President Donald Trump for European

allies to invest more in their own defence.

Estimates from the alliance on Thursday showed that as

recently as last year, more than 10 of NATO's 32 members fell

short of the 2% goal, which was agreed in 2014.

Figures for 2025 showed all allies meeting that target, with

seven at the minimum of 2.0% and several others only marginally

higher.

Poland is the NATO member spending the most on defence as a

share of its economy, at 4.48%, followed by Lithuania at 4% and

Latvia with 3.73%, according to the data.

Those were the only alliance members who currently exceed

the new defence spending target of 3.5% of GDP agreed by NATO

leaders at a summit in The Hague in June.

The leaders agreed to hit that target by 2035 as part of a

broader goal of spending 5% of GDP on defence and

security-related investments, to include items such as

cybersecurity and upgrading roads and ports to handle heavy

military equipment.

Speaking at the opening of an ammunition factory in Germany

on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised higher

defence spending by alliance members but said it was important

to turn the extra money into military capabilities.

"Cash alone doesn't provide security," he said at the

factory in the town of Unterluess owned by German arms firm

Rheinmetall. "Deterrence doesn't come from 5%. Deterrence comes

from the capability to ... fight potential enemies."