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Norway aims to raise military expenditure to 2% of GDP by 2026 — PM

According to Jonas Gahr Stoere, "Norway allocates more on defense per capita than everybody else at NATO, except for the United States"

STOCKHOLM, May 2. /TASS/. The Norwegian government will boost its defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2026, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference on Tuesday.

"We have a plan to start allocating at least 2% of GDP by 2026," he said. "We need long-term planning and buildup," he added.

According to the premier, "Norway allocates more on defense per capita than everybody else at NATO, except for the United States."

Norway currently spends just over 1.4% on defense. Until recently, the kingdom was among the countries which had no specific plans to boost its military spending to 2% of GDP. Against the backdrop of increased oil and gas revenues amid the situation in Ukraine, however, this goal has become especially urgent, the government insists.

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