LONDON, December 25. /TASS/. The United Kingdom’s defense expenditures grew by 14% between 2012 and 2022, but London’s geopolitical rivals have posted an even higher growth in their military spending, The Times newspaper has reported.

According to the article, Iran’s military budget grew by 57%, China’s - by 60% and Russia’s - by 34% in the reported period.

The United Kingdom’s military budget for the next year, approved in October, stood at roughly $71.3 billion, which is half of what Russia plans to spend for its defense needs.

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London planned to raise military expenditures to 2.5% of the GDP in the future, but gave no exact timeframes. Currently, the country’s defense budget equals roughly 2.3% of its GDP.

US President-elect Donald Trump will require NATO member states to increase their defense spending to 5% of their GDP. According to the Financial Times, he conveyed this demand to a number of European officials through his representatives.