In this file photo dated Dec 14, 2022, Italian Army troops take part in the joint military exercise "Strike Back" at the Novo Selo military ground, northwestern Bulgaria. (PHOTO / AFP)

ROME - Italy's military budget is set to shrink again this year, taking the country further away from a NATO target of spending at least 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2028, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on Wednesday.

Defense spending has fallen steadily from 1.59 percent of GDP in 2020 to 1.46 percent in 2023, and "will probably fall" again this year, Crosetto said in a question time session at the lower house of parliament.

"This is not news that makes me happy," he added.

Crosetto on Wednesday reiterated a pledge to continue supporting Ukraine, after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week signed a 10-year defense pact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv

Following Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, NATO's European members are under pressure to boost their defense capabilities, and have come under renewed fire from US Presidential candidate Donald Trump for not paying enough into the military alliance.

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At a summit in 2014, NATO leaders agreed to move towards spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense within a decade, but Italy's previous government, led by Mario Draghi, postponed the objective by four years.

In November, Crosetto told parliament that even meeting the less ambitious 2028 target was "difficult". Italy faces tight budget constraints, being the second most indebted country in the eurozone after Greece.

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Crosetto on Wednesday reiterated a pledge to continue supporting Ukraine, after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week signed a 10-year defense pact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.