German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has dismissed tensions with US President Donald Trump as "no marriage crisis," saying he was unaware of what military support Washington was seeking from Berlin.
Responding to Trump's claim that Germany had denied him "a little kiss" over support for the war against Iran, Pistorius told Der Spiegel news magazine: "Refusing a little kiss can happen even in the best relationships - incidentally, also unintentionally. This is truly no marriage crisis."
He said he was not aware of what kind of military support the United States would like from Germany.
Pistorius said one was getting used to the US government's tone being "a little rougher" when there were disagreements. "We are all not made of candy floss," he said.
A senior US general had recently told him that Germany was "the centre of gravity" of NATO, the focal point, Pistorius said. "That puts one or two criticisms into perspective," he said.
Efforts to strengthen the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, were being made out of "personal conviction - for the security of Germany and NATO partners," Pistorius said, and not in the hope of winning Trump's affection. "Not in the hope of buying love from whoever," he said.
US government officials including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had sharply criticized NATO allies for failing to support the war against Iran, recently describing the stance of allied nations as "shameful."
