NATO's chief says 23 of the alliance's 32 members are expected to meet the target of spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense this year.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg disclosed this at the start of talks with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday.

Stoltenberg said the move "demonstrates that European allies and Canada are really stepping up and taking their share of the common responsibility to protect all of us in the NATO alliance."

Biden welcomed the development, saying the number of NATO allies meeting the 2-percent threshold will more than double compared to when he took office.

With bigger defense budgets, NATO members are expected to discuss ways to strengthen their deterrence and defense posture against Russia at a summit in Washington next month.

Former US President Donald Trump, who is aiming to return to the White House, has been urging NATO allies to spend more on defense. He has even suggested that the United States would not protect NATO members that do not spend enough.