Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that President Donald Trump has “won the argument” on NATO defense spending, crediting years of U.S. pressure with prompting Canada and European allies to take on a greater share of the alliance’s security burden.

NATO Defense Spending

Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Carney said he spoke with Trump before the gathering and told him that NATO members increasingly recognize the need to boost military spending amid continued security threats from Russia.

Carney said Trump’s long-standing push for allies to spend more on defense is producing results. “The president is looking for a shift of the burden within NATO. That’s appropriate,” Carney said. “That is happening. It is gaining momentum.”

The remarks mark a notable shift in tone from Carney, who has frequently criticized Trump over trade, tariffs and U.S.-Canada relations. Since taking office, the Canadian prime minister repeatedly has criticized Trump over his tariffs on Canadian goods and his repeated suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.

Trump’s Efforts Pay Off

At the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, alliance leaders agreed to a new goal of spending 5% of GDP on defense and security by 2035—more than doubling the alliance’s longstanding 2% benchmark. The pledge followed years of Trump criticizing NATO members for relying too heavily on the U.S., warning that allies were not paying their fair share and at times threatening to pull the U.S. out of the alliance if European nations failed to significantly increase defense spending.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte echoed Carney’s assessment, saying Trump had accomplished what multiple U.S. presidents had sought for decades. “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 during opening remarks.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.