Back and forth over defence spending comes as NATO leaders set to meet in Ankara next week.
Germany does not have to shy away from talking up its record on defence spending, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, when asked about US President Donald Trump calling Germany’s past efforts “ridiculous”. The issue of defence spending has loomed large as Nato leaders prepare to gather next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the continent. “Germany is doubling its defence budget within four...
Germany’s ruling coalition has pledged to take a tougher line on defending trade at the continental level, signalling a potential shift by a country long seen as the European Union’s main brake on stronger action against China. The pledge formed part of a 34-point package to revive Germany’s ailing economy that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition agreed to on Thursday. While the document did not mention China, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said the government was adopting a...