Germany intends to reach the new NATO defense spending target of 5% of national GDP ahead of schedule, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
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At the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025, the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance agreed to strive to increase total defense and security spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
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“We will achieve the 5% target agreed in The Hague much earlier than the deadline,” Merz said after the NATO summit in Ankara. The broadcast was hosted by Phoenix TV channel.
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Speaking about the increase in defense spending by European NATO countries, the German Chancellor said that over the past 12 months they have increased by more than 100 billion euros. According to him, Germany’s share in this amount is about 25 billion euros.
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“We have increased our defense spending to almost 125 billion euros,” Merz said.
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In turn, the German Foreign Ministry noted following the results of the NATO summit that Germany could reach 5% of GDP by 2029.
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US President Donald Trump admitted on Tuesday that he was disappointed in NATO. Earlier, he repeatedly criticized Europe for its low contribution to NATO’s defense capability and demanded that all member states raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.
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The American leader stated that he was seriously considering the country’s withdrawal from NATO.
