Increased defense spending is expected to be high on the agenda at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday.



The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's demand that other NATO members each raise their national defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP.



US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is attending for the first time since taking office in January.



Ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters that the Europeans and Canadians need to spend over 3 percent of their GDP. He added that "we have to defend ourselves against the long-term threat that Russia poses."
The attendees are also expected to discuss support for Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has been invited to take part in discussions on the subject.



Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and his counterparts from the Indo-Pacific region are also taking part in the meeting. They are expected to join discussions on China's deepening ties with Russia, as well as defense industry cooperation between NATO and Indo-Pacific nations.