AMN
The US president has said that Germany and other NATO members “owe billions” for falling short of spending targets. German politicians have previously addressed his views of how NATO funding and defense spending work.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday singled out Germany for failing to meet a defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP agreed upon between members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Trump said “some friends and enemies” had “taken advantage” of the US “on trade and on military.”
“If you look at NATO, where Germany pays 1 percent and we are paying 4.2 percent of a much bigger GDP – that’s not fair,” Trump said.
Last year, Germany spent 1.13 percent of GDP, far below the NATO target agreed upon between member states in 2014 in Wales. In the agreement, member states were given until 2024 to reach that goal. Berlin has vowed to follow through on that commitment.