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.
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.”
This developing story is being updated.