By Andrew GrayBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Joint European Union borrowing could help fund higher defence spending but governments would still have to make tough political choices to sustain it, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. To succeed, proponents will need to convince those traditionally sceptical of EU joint borrowing such as Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic nations. European defence spending has been on an upward curve since Russia first invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014. NATO said on Wednesday it expected defence spending by its European members would grow by $33 billion this year to $380 billion. Last year, NATO estimated Belgium would spend 1.13 % of GDP on defence in 2023, second lowest among NATO members.

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Persons: Andrew Gray BRUSSELS, Alexander De Croo, Donald Trump, Kaja Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel, De Croo, Croo, Thierry Breton, Andrew Gray, John Irish, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Belgian, NATO, Estonian, European, Reuters, Munich Security Conference, Nordic, European Defence Fund, EU Locations: European, Ukraine, Munich, Germany, Netherlands, EU, Russia, Crimea, Belgium, Europe, France, Paris