Germany Supports Increased Defense Expenditure Budget For NATO Members To 5 Percent Of GDP

JAKARTA - Germany on Thursday supported US President Donald Trump's demands regarding an increase in the budget for members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), as Washington urged countries to remove "weak chains" in alliances caused by a lack of military investment.

"We followed it (Trump), and we see this as a clear commitment by the United States to Article 5 NATO," said new German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, referring to the joint defense pact of the military alliance.

Foreign Minister Wadephul, who took office early last week as part of a new government led by conservatives, spoke at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey's Antalya City, where defense spending was the main agenda.

NATO's current defense spending target is 2 percent of GDP, a goal currently only being met or exceeded by 22 of its 32 members.

However, many NATO leaders say the target is now too low, as they see Russia as a much greater threat after the invasion of Ukraine by 2022.

With six weeks before NATO leaders held a summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, member states are trying hard to meet President Trump's demands, with the aim of preventing a repeat of past threats by the US President from withdrawing from the alliance or weakening US commitments to collective defense.

Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had proposed a two-pronged approach to meeting Trump's 5 percent call, suggesting allies spend 3.5 percent of their GDP on defense and dedicate 1.5 percent further to broader security issues such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Thursday's meeting was the first opportunity for foreign ministers to discuss the proposal.

Several countries have previously explained that they see 5 percent of GDP as unrealistic targets, at least in the near future. On the other hand, some are unhappy with the idea that not all of the 5 percent will be used for core military spending.

"The target of NATO member countries must be 5 percent in the future. And we are not talking about anything other than real defense spending, which is stipulated in NATO regulations," said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna in Antalya.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used a softer tone about NATO than some members of the Trump Administration, which has sparked European concerns about Washington's commitment to alliances that rely heavily on US military power.

However, he stressed that Uncle Sam's country expects its allies to increase their defense spending.

"NATO has the opportunity to grow stronger. The alliance is only as strong as its weakest link and we intend and strive not to have a weak link in this alliance," Foreign Minister Rubio told reporters in Antalya before the meeting.

Secretary General Rutte said he was optimistic that more countries would achieve NATO's current target before the summit.

"Now it seems we will go very far in bringing the entire alliance to 2 percent, which will build a launch platform for the summit," said Secretary General Rutte.