Germany Says It Won’t Meet Trump's Demand on Defense Spending for Years
- Merkel minister sees military spending at 1.5% of GDP by 2025
- Strongest rebuff yet coincides with other U.S.-Europe tensions
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German defense spending will fall far short of levels demanded by President Donald Trump’s administration for years to come, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s defense minister said.
Military outlays will climb to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2025, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Monday. It was the government’s first public acknowledgment that Germany won’t reach the 2 percent spending level pledged by North Atlantic Treaty Organization members by the middle of the next decade.