Trump calls German defence spending 'ridiculous', Merz fires back ahead of NATO summit

Pre-summit tensions flare

Ahead of next week's NATO summit in Ankara, President Donald Trump launched fresh criticism at Germany's defence contributions. In separate posts on Truth Social, Trump called the spending record of Germany and other allies "ridiculous" and said it was not "reciprocal" for the United States to continue carrying the disproportionate burden.

Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal

The criticism comes as NATO leaders prepare to gather on 7–8 July in Ankara. The summit is seen as a test of transatlantic unity, with European allies aiming to demonstrate they are stepping up while also managing friction over the US-led war against Iran and Trump's earlier threats against NATO member Denmark over Greenland.

Merz's rebuttal

After meeting Baltic leaders in Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed back directly against Trump's remarks. He said Germany was in the middle of doubling its defence budget over four years and had no reason to shy away from the comparison.

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, we have no reason to shy away from anyone.

Merz added that he would present the figures with "all due modesty" at the Ankara summit and stressed that Germany, as the EU's largest member state, bears special responsibility within Europe. He also underscored that the Russian threat is taken very seriously and that Germany is arming itself accordingly.

NATO spending targets

Last year, at a summit in The Hague, NATO allies agreed to raise the core defence spending benchmark from 2% of GDP to 3.5% by 2035, with an additional 1.5% for security-related expenditures, bringing the total to 5% of GDP. Germany spent 2.4% of GDP on defence in 2025, exceeding the old benchmark but still below many eastern-flank allies. Merz said Berlin will hit the 3.5% core target by 2029, six years ahead of the alliance deadline.

Alliance under broad strain

The defence spending dispute is only one pressure point. The past year has seen Trump threaten to seize Greenland from Denmark, wage a war against Iran without consulting European partners, and deride allies as "cowards" for not helping secure the Strait of Hormuz. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is trying to project unity and avoid open conflict at the Ankara gathering. Separately, Lithuania announced it is initiating a constitutional amendment to lift a ban on deploying nuclear weapons on its soil, a further sign of the security rethink underway in Europe.