Germany backs Trump’s NATO goal of 5% defense spending

After meeting with his US counterpart at a gathering of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey, Germany's foreign minister said Berlin is willing to "follow" US President's Trump's demand for increased defense spending, Deutsche Welle reported.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday that Berlin accepts in principle the demand from the United States that NATO member states increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.

Speaking on the sidelines of an informal gathering of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey, Wadephul said: "The result is the 5% that President Donald Trump has called for, and we will follow him in this respect."

According to the source, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the 5% target would not be reached in just a couple of years and would pose a financial challenge for the United States, too, which currently spends only 3.37% of GDP on defense – albeit by far the most in absolute terms.

"NATO has the opportunity to grow even stronger," he said in Antalya. "The alliance is only as strong as its weakest link, and we intend and endeavor to have no weak links in this alliance."