{"id":48056,"date":"2026-07-03T14:58:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/48056\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T14:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:58:07","slug":"in-riposte-to-trump-merz-says-germany-can-defend-its-military-spending-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/48056\/","title":{"rendered":"In Riposte to Trump, Merz Says Germany Can Defend Its Military Spending Push"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Miranda Murray and Matthias Williams<\/p>\n

BERLIN, July 3 (Reuters) – \u2060Germany \u2060does not have to shy \u2060away from talking up its record on defence spending, Chancellor \u200bFriedrich Merz said on Friday, when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump calling Germany’s past efforts “ridiculous”.<\/p>\n

The \u200cissue of defence spending has loomed \u200clarge as NATO leaders prepare to gather next week in Ankara, where Europeans \u2060aim to \u2060set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they \u200bare stepping up to defend the continent.<\/p>\n

“Germany is doubling its defence budget within four years. This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defence capabilities. In this respect, \u200bwe have no reason to shy away from anyone,” Merz told reporters.<\/p>\n

“We will \u2060state this, \u2060with all due modesty, \u2060and we \u200bare doing so as the European Union\u2019s largest member state, bearing a responsibility within Europe.”<\/p>\n

Trump \u200btook to Truth Social \u2060to lambast the defence spending records of NATO allies this week. “Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal,” said one post. In another, he said Germany’s spending was “MUCH LOWER” between 2014-2025 than the U.S. or \u2060other NATO allies, adding “Ridiculous!”<\/p>\n

In The Hague last year, NATO leaders agreed to spend \u20603.5% of GDP on core defence items such as weapons and troops by 2035 \u2014 up from a previous goal of 2%.<\/p>\n

“We, too, take the Russian threat very seriously, and we are arming ourselves against it,” Merz said as he hosted leaders of the Baltic states in Berlin. “We will reach the 3.5% benchmark set in The Hague as early as 2029, well ahead of the agreed deadline.”<\/p>\n

The past 12 months have severely strained the alliance, with Trump threatening to \u2060take Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark and then waging a war against Iran that roiled the global economy without consulting European allies.<\/p>\n

The war also rattled personal ties between Trump and European leaders including Merz, who said the U.S. \u200bwas being humiliated by Iran.<\/p>\n

(Reporting by Miranda Murray and Matthias Williams, \u200bediting by Friederike Heine and Alex Richardson)<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See \u2013 June 2026<\/p>\n

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