German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, tipped to become the country’s chancellor in next month’s election, said he would spend more on defense but would not commit to a defense spending target from the Western military alliance Atlantic Treaty Organization North (), as requested by the president-elect of , .
“First, we have to actually reach the lower limit of 2% in Germany. We’re not there yet,” Merz told the broadcaster Bavarian Radio this Wednesday (8), in response to Trump’s call for NATO members to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.
“The (targets) of 2%, 3% or 5% are basically irrelevant, the decisive factor is that we do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves,” said Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic opposition and favorite to succeed as Chancellor of Germany. .
Trump has frequently complained that most NATO members are not paying their fair share, and during last year’s election campaign he suggested demanding an increase in defense contributions from NATO countries. The alliance estimated that 23 of its 32 members would meet their target of spending 2% of GDP on defense in 2024.
Markus Soeder, leader of the Christian Democrats’ sister party in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union (CSU), who had chancellor ambitions before giving way to Merz as the conservative candidate, told the broadcaster ntv/RTL that military spending must be increased significantly, to “well over 3%”.
Germany can only meet the current NATO target of 2% due to a special fund, but there is uncertainty about how to maintain this level of spending when the fund runs out in 2028.
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Pressure from Trump and a more aggressive Russia has made defense spending a key campaign issue ahead of parliamentary elections in Germany, scheduled for February 23, about a month after Trump’s inauguration.
Merz has said Germany can cover future increases in defense spending without a special fund, while German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a candidate for chancellor for the Greens, said last week that Germany should target 3.5%, which, according to him, could only be achieved through loans.
Dirk Wiese, deputy group leader of Scholz’s Social Democrats, told RTL/ntv that Trump’s demand was “complete madness.”
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Wiese also said he does not support Habeck’s proposal, echoing Scholz, who called it “a bit poorly done.”
