Data from 2015 indicates that NATO members in Europe have slowed their cuts to defense spending, likely due to fears of Russian aggression. Reuters reports that while defense spending is still decreasing overall, the drop was the smallest in four years. Additionally, Eastern European nations have actually increased their defense spending. This trend appears to be directly related to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The United States still makes up almost three quarters of the defense spending in NATO, but this trend implies that Europe is beginning to take steps to better aid in countering Russian aggression in Europe.
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