Stoltenberg said he expects alliance members to meet a target goal of spending at least 2 percent of GDP, or the economic output of a nation, on defense.
“It has to be a minimum of what allies have to invest in our shared security,” Stoltenberg said of the spending target.
Last year, only seven countries in the 31-member western security alliance met that target goal: the U.S., Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, the U.K., Estonia and Greece.
Stoltenberg met with President Biden on Tuesday in the Oval Office ahead of the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Biden touted the strength of the NATO alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said members were working toward increased spending goals.
“At our summit in Lithuania next month we are going to be building on that momentum, working to ensure allies [spend] enough on defense,” the president said.
Stoltenberg also met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Blinken thanked Stoltenberg, who is stepping down from his post at the end of September, for his leadership “during one of the most critical times I can remember.”
“Because of his strong, steady hand, our alliance is stronger and more unified than it’s ever been,” Blinken said.
The NATO chief talked up support for Ukraine with U.S. leaders during his visit and backed Washington’s latest package of roughly $300 million for Kyiv.
Ukraine just launched its counteroffensive to reclaim territories in the east occupied by Russia, making incremental advances and claiming to have captured around seven towns in the southern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Stoltenberg said western support is “making a difference” on the battlefield.
“Ukrainians are making progress,” he said. “The more land Ukraine is able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiation table.”
Stoltenberg also discussed efforts to include Sweden in the NATO alliance as Turkey holds up ratification over concerns about Swedish ties to extremist groups.
Stoltenberg said he was looking forward to including the nation into the security alliance “as soon as possible.”
