Merkel Takes on Trump Over Demands for German NATO Spending
- German chancellor says she’ll keep focus on development aid
- U.S. president’s pressure on defense rankles German leaders
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Chancellor Angela Merkel sharpened her tone against President Donald Trump’s demands that Germany spend more on defense, saying she’ll keep insisting that targets on development aid are just as important.
The U.S. administration has ruled out counting foreign aid toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s target of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product in member states on defense. Trump has said Germany owes “vast sums of money” on security.