Germany rejects 5% spending for NATO

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected a demand from United States President-elect Donald Trump that members of the NATO military alliance should increase their defense spending to at least 5 percent of their gross domestic product.

According to figures published by NATO in June 2024, a record 23 out of 32 member states hit the current GDP military spending target of 2 percent, with Germany being one of four countries to do so for the first time.

The US spends around 3.37 percent of GDP on defense, which statistics from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute say accounts for 68 percent of NATO's funding, as opposed to Europe's combined 28 percent.