German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has stressed Berlin's readiness to assume greater leadership responsibility in NATO amid US plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Europe.
“Our goal is a new burden-sharing arrangement that reflects Germany’s and Europe’s economic and military potential,” he said ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the Swedish port city of Helsingborg on Thursday.
“Germany is accepting its leadership responsibility,” Wadephul said.
Germany wanted to reach NATO’s 5% spending target and the associated strengthening of defence capabilities as quickly as possible, he said.
At the 2025 NATO summit, the alliance agreed that member states should in future invest at least 3.5% of gross domestic product in defence spending.
A further 1.5% is to be allocated to defence-related spending, such as infrastructure, bringing the total target to 5% annually by 2035.
Washington has been pushing for what it calls fairer burden-sharing within the alliance, saying it wants Europe to step up so that it can focus more strongly on challenges posed by China.
Trump recently said that 5,000 US troops would be pulled from Germany. There has also been confusion over whether the deployment of thousands of troops to Poland would go ahead as planned.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to join the meeting in Sweden on Friday.
Along with boosting Europe's defences, the ministers are also due to discuss the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Wadephul reiterated that Germany was prepared to help Washington by taking an active role in international efforts to secure the key route for global energy supplies.
