"NATO European countries discuss raising defense spending target to 3% GDP"

European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO are reportedly discussing raising their defense spending target from 2% to 3% of GDP.

The British daily Financial Times, citing several sources, said there was a possibility that a new target could be officially agreed at the NATO summit in the Hague, the Netherlands, in June next year.

Member states are expected to target 2.5% in the short term and reach 3% by 2030, the sources said.

The move is seen as a countermeasure against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's claim of a "security free ride" to pressure Europe's security costs and even mention the possibility of leaving NATO.

According to NATO's June forecast, 23 of the 32 member states are expected to meet NATO's 2% defense spending target set a decade ago this year.