German foreign minister backs Trump's 5% NATO defense spending target

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday backed US President Donald Trump's call for a massive increase in NATO members' defense spending.

Speaking to reporters during an informal NATO foreign ministers meeting in Türkiye, Wadephul indicated Germany's willingness to follow Trump's demand that NATO members spend 5% of GDP on defense.

“And we will follow him on this. And we see in this a clear commitment from the US to Article 5 of the alliance. NATO stands closely together. And everyone must know that this defense alliance has become stronger through this deplorable war in Ukraine and stands more united than ever before,” Wadephul said.

The German foreign minister made the remarks following his talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the NATO meeting. Wadephul reiterated that Germany wants to assume a leading role in Europe's defense by significantly investing in defense and modernizing its armed forces.

“The Americans are very satisfied with what Germany is delivering. I have said that we are ready to take on a leadership role in Europe. To set an example and to demand that others follow us. There is complete agreement with the US on this,” he told reporters.

NATO's current target for member countries is to spend at least 2% of their GDP annually on defense. Germany has only recently met this threshold after significantly boosting its defense budget. A proposed increase to 5% would mean Germany would need to allocate approximately €225 billion ($250 billion) for defense.