The defense ministers of Europe’s five top military spenders say they intend to continue increasing their investments in defense but described President-elect Donald Trump’s challenge for them to raise spending to 5% of their overall economic output as extremely difficult.

Thousands of British troops have been deployed to Romania and Bulgaria to prepare for a Russian invasion on Nato in the near future. As many as 730 army vehicles and 2,600 personnel will be stationed at the Alliance’s eastern flank as the war in Ukraine nears its third anniversary in February.

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard has reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to bolstering NATO’s integrated air and missile defence capabilities.

Defence Ministers from Poland, Germany, France, Italy and the UK met in Warsaw on Monday to discuss European security matters in a new five-way format established in the wake of Donald Trump's US presidential election win.

Poland, which borders both Russia and Ukraine, aims to spend 4.7 percent of its GDP on defense this year — by far the highest of any NATO member. The United Kingdom, France and Germany spend nearer to 2 percent — the current NATO target — while Italy languishes at 1.49 percent.

Germany, the UK, France, Poland, and Italy are looking to enhance defence production by cutting regulations and streamlining processes, according to a report

From left: Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Britain's Ministry of Defence, Poland's Minister of National Defence Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Germany's Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, France's Minister of the Armed ...

Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, joined Defence Ministers in Helenów, Poland, from the Group of Five nations: France, Germany, Italy

According to a news release from the Ministry of Defence, the meeting resulted in a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to Ukraine’s self-defence and enhancing European security. Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, represented the UK at the discussions.

The meeting of the defence ministers from the EU's largest countries together with the deputy defence minister of Great Britain comes as Poland begins its rotating presidency of the EU and as Europe braces for the unpredictability of a new Donald Trump presidency.

From left: Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Britain's Ministry of Defence, Poland's Minister of National Defence Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Germany's Federal Minister of ...

"In my opinion, that’s what matters." From left: Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Britain's Ministry of Defence, Poland's Minister of National Defence Wladyslaw ...