The 2014 Wales Summit commitment — each NATO member spending at least 2% of GDP on defense — was largely symbolic at signing. Russia's annexation of Crimea, followed by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, transformed it into a live political litmus test. The eastern flank has led the surge: Poland now exceeds 4% of GDP, Estonia nearly 3.5%. Western European laggards like Italy, Spain, and Belgium still fall short of the threshold.