BERLIN, July 3 — Germany does not have to shy away from talking up its record on defence spending, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, when asked about United States (US) President Donald Trump calling Germany's past efforts "ridiculous".
The issue of defence spending has loomed large as NATO leaders prepare to gather next week in Ankara, Turkiye, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the continent.
"Germany is doubling its defence budget within four years; this is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defence capabilities. In this respect, we have no reason to shy away from anyone.
"We will state this, with all due modesty, and we are doing so as the European Union’s largest member state, bearing a responsibility within Europe," he told the media.
Trump took to Truth Social this week to lambast the defence spending records of NATO allies.
"Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal," said one post.
In another, he said Germany's spending was "MUCH LOWER" between 2014-2025 than that of the US or other NATO allies, adding, "Ridiculous!"
In The Hague last year, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5 per cent of their gross domestic product on core defence items such as weapons and troops by 2035 — up from a previous goal of two per cent.
"We, too, take the Russian threat very seriously, and we are arming ourselves against it. We will reach the 3.5 per cent benchmark set in The Hague as early as 2029, well ahead of the agreed deadline," Merz said as he hosted leaders of the Baltic states in Berlin
The past 12 months have severely strained the alliance, with Trump threatening to take Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark and then waging a war against Iran that roiled the global economy without consulting European allies.
The war also rattled personal ties between Trump and European leaders, including Merz, who said the US is being humiliated by Iran.
