What NATO Defense Ministers Will Discuss At The October 2025 Summit

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – JUNE 6: NATO Defense Ministers meet on June 6, 2002 at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. NATO defense ministers are attending a two day conference to discuss ways of fighting terrorism. The ministers are also holding the first meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (RNC). (Photo by Paul O’Driscoll/Getty Images)

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This week, defense ministers from NATO’s 32 member countries will meet in Brussels to discuss the defense spending targets established during their summit at The Hague in June. NATO’s defense ministers will also meet with Ukrainian officials to assess Ukraine’s defense efforts during Russia’s ongoing invasion. Finally, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will hold a press conference with media representatives to highlight NATO’s current defense strategies.

The meeting comes after a period of renewed tensions with the Russian Federation. Last month, 19 Russian drones entered Poland’s airspace. In response, Polish and NATO fighter jets were scrambled, and several of the Russian drones were shot down. Following the incident, the Polish government invoked NATO’s Article 4, and an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council was held. Several days later, Romanian officials announced that they had detected a Russian drone in Romanian airspace. In both cases, the Russians denied the airspace violations.

Then, two weeks after the drone incidents in Poland and Romania, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonia’s airspace. The armed jets flew in Estonia for 12 minutes before leaving the country. Following the incident, the Estonian government invoked NATO’s Article 4, and the NATO Atlantic Council held another meeting. During the session, NATO members condemned Russia’s violation, and allied forces discussed the need to bolster their defenses and protect their airspace. Alliance members concluded their meeting by stating that they would begin considering new options for addressing airspace violations if the Russians were to test NATO again. These events will be further examined during the NATO defense meeting this week.

NATO Proposes Routine European Air Defense Patrols

Since then, the discussions on NATO and European airspace have intensified. According to a report by the Financial Times, NATO members have mentioned the possibility of easing rules for pilots to shoot down Russian aircraft in case they were to violate NATO airspace. Some European countries have also proposed the creation of a drone wall, where the Europeans would establish a technology system that would regularly monitor, identify, track, and intercept threats entering NATO and Europe. The potential defense plan would particularly focus on incidents along NATO’s borders in Eastern Europe.

The concept of a drone wall, which will be further discussed at the NATO defense ministers meeting this week, has also emerged after NATO members observed how the Russian Federation increased its drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. Over the past several weeks, ABC News reported that Russia set a new record of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. The events have renewed discussions about having Alliance members and European countries protect Ukraine’s airspace from future Russian bombardments. (This topic was also mentioned during the United Nations General Assembly last month.)

Aside from protecting European airspace, the Europeans have also discussed the potential of using the drone wall for European maritime security purposes, particularly in the Baltic and Black Seas. NATO members will use their defense meeting this week to further discuss how the drone wall would be established, as well as what continental and maritime patrols would entail.

NATO Defense Targets Following The June 2025 Summit

The creation of the drone wall could also be tied to NATO’s new defense spending targets. During the NATO Summit in June, NATO’s 32 members committed to spending 5% of their respective gross domestic products on defense by 2035. The upcoming NATO defense meeting will provide Alliance members with an opportunity to discuss the progress they have made since the change in defense spending targets in June, as well as any challenges or concerns they have faced over the past few months. It is possible that financing a potential drone wall to protect NATO and Europe could also be incorporated into the overall spending target that was proposed in June.

For several years, NATO members have struggled to reach defense spending goals. NATO’s initial defense spending target, established in 2014, required Alliance members to allocate 2% of their GDP to defense. By 2021, only six Alliance members had reached the proposed goal. It was not until the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that many other Alliance members increased their GDP spending on defense-related items. As a result, by 2025, 23 out of NATO’s 32 members reached the 2% goal. This suggests that NATO members are serious about their collective defense and national security.

But it now remains to be seen how discussions surrounding the 5% GDP defense goal will unfold during the October summit, and if any adjustments will be made to NATO’s current defense spending targets. For now, most NATO members are not on track to meet the 5% target by 2035.

NATO-Ukraine Relations Amid Russia’s Invasion

Finally, during the NATO defense gathering this week, Alliance members will participate in the NATO-Ukraine Council and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. These two bodies serve as platforms to discuss NATO-Ukraine relations, Ukraine’s political and defense reforms as it aspires to join NATO, and how NATO can continue to provide guidance and assistance to Ukraine during Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a program in which the U.S. would sell defense weapons and equipment to NATO members for Ukraine. These purchases would then be delivered to the European continent, and sent to Ukraine so that the Ukrainians could use these Western weapons and technology as they defend themselves against Russia’s ongoing invasion. The initiative was first established in July, but the first shipment of weapons for Ukraine did not arrive to Europe until September. The Alliance could use the upcoming defense summit as a medium to discuss the progress and effectiveness of this program.

Similarly, as NATO members proposed an increase in defense spending in June, the Alliance agreed that defense aid to Ukraine could be incorporated toward the 5% GDP target. It is likely that Alliance members will inquire with Ukrainian officials about the effectiveness of this plan. Finally, Alliance members will discuss how else the Alliance can provide assistance to Ukraine. This was also a point that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials highlighted during the United Nations General Assembly last month.

Overall, NATO members face a series of significant challenges as they gather in Brussels to discuss threats to the Alliance and the European continent. There will also be a wide range of dense topics to cover during the one-day meeting.

Government officials, policymakers, and academics will be keen to observe what unfolds at the NATO defense summit. They will also be curious to see what actions NATO members will take following this event. What transpires may just impact the future of NATO and European national security.