Today at 18:08
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed demands by newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump for Germany and other NATO allies to raise defense spending to at least 5% of GDP.
Scholz made these remarks during a campaign event in the city of Bielefeld, as reported by DW.
Germany only reached NATO’s current target of 2% of GDP last year, for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
“Five percent is over 200 billion euros per year, while the federal budget isn’t even 500 billion euros,” Scholz said.
“This would only be possible with a significant increase in taxes or major cuts to many things that are important to us,” he added, emphasizing that he would not allow cuts to pensions, local government funding, or transport infrastructure.
Scholz pledged that the country would maintain its current level of defense spending.
“I guarantee that we will continue to spend 2% of our economic output on defense,” he stated.
Recently, Trump reaffirmed his belief that NATO members, including European allies, should spend 5% of GDP on defense.
Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte suggested that allies should consider defense spending above 2% of GDP, regardless of “the Trump factor.”
Read also: U.S. not intending to use military force in Greenland – J.D. Vance
