Germany’s Merz defends NATO spending after Trump calls it ‘ridiculous’

Back and forth over Defence Spending comes as NATO leaders set to meet in Ankara next week.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has defended his country’s NATO Defence Spending, shortly after US President Donald Trump re-upped his criticism of alliance members.The statement on Friday came as NATO leaders were set to meet next week in Ankara. Trump has decried Defence Spending by members of the bloc throughout his political career, calling the balance of spending “ridiculous” and “one-sided” in his latest Truth Social posts on the issue earlier this week.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3France-Germany jet plans crash: Can Europe end reliance on US for security?list 2 of 3Top European leaders vow ‘strong’ support for Ukraine ahead of NATO summitlist 3 of 3Trump slams NATO over lax participation in Iran war in talk with Mark Rutteend of listIn one post, Trump said Germany’s spending was “MUCH ⁠LOWER” between 2014 and 2025 than the US or other NATO allies, which he again called “Ridiculous!”When asked about the comment, Merz said Germany would double 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,” Merz said.“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 said.US and European ties have been strained throughout Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021 and his current term, which began in January 2025.However, while largely dismissive of the president during his first four years in office, several European leaders have sought a more amenable approach to the president this time around.At the behest of the US, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5 percent of their countries’ GDP on core defence items, such as weapons and troops, ⁠by 2035, an increase of the previous goal set by the bloc of 2 percent of its GDP.