Gathered Thursday at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels, the defense ministers of the 32 allied countries confirmed their commitment to strengthening their respective armed forces and to investing in new military equipment to ensure the continent's defense in the face of the Russian threat.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO defense ministers are set Thursday to approve purchasing targets for stocking up on weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of a U.S. push to ramp up security spending.

NATO member states signed off on the military alliance’s most ambitious military ramp-up since the Cold War as leaders closed in on an agreement to ratchet up spending at a summit later this month.