Johann Wadephul (CDU), Federal Foreign Minister, makes a statement during an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images
Germany is backing U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to increase the defense spending target of NATO members to 5% of their individual gross domestic product, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday.
When asked about NATO chief Mark Rutte’s reported proposal that members of the alliance should increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP while committing an additional 1.5% to wider security-related matters, Wadephul said he believed this suggestion had been coordinated — including with the U.S. — and that it would be discussed at the ongoing NATO foreign ministers meeting.
“But one should look at the result. And the result is indeed the 5% demanded by President Trump, that he believes are necessary, and we are following him in this respect,” Wadephul said on the sidelines of the meeting in Turkey, according to a CNBC translation.
Trump has long demanded higher defense expenses from NATO members, some of which have so far even been failing to meet the existing 2% target. Some countries like Poland have already committed to boosting their defense spending as high as 5% in the coming years, while others have been more cautious and critical of the prospect of higher expenses.
In 2024, Germany spent around 2% of its GDP on defense, according to NATO estimates. In a press conference with NATO’s Rutte last week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that one percent of the country’s GDP would represent around 45 billion euros ($50 billion).
The next NATO summit, where decisions regarding higher defense spending targets could be made, is set to take place in late June.
Wadephul also met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Thursday event. In a post on social media platform X, Wadephul said their conversation “was a great start, especially at a time when so much is at stake in foreign affairs.”
Speaking to journalists, Wadephul suggested that there was a close alignment between Germany and the U.S. on foreign policy matters.
“The U.S. is very satisfied with what Germany is achieving,” Wadephul said. “I said that we are ready to take a leadership role in Europe, be an example and to invite others to follow us.”
Defense and military matters appear to be high on the agenda for Germany’s new government, with the coalition partners earlier this year pushing changes to the country’s long-standing debt rules through parliament. The shift is designed to enable higher defense spending.
In a parliamentary speech on Wednesday, Germany’s Merz had also discussed defense and security policy, explaining that the goal was for Germany and Europe to be so strong that they would not need to use their weapons.
“We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves,” he said, according to a CNBC translation. Merz also said the German military would be given the financial means it needs to become the “conventionally strongest military in Europe.”
Merz further vowed to take on more responsibility in NATO and Europe.