German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has commented on the strategy employed by US President Donald Trump, who is urging allies to increase defense spending through direct and firm measures, characterizing this approach as justified. Merz contrasted this direct style with the appeals made by previous American administrations, stating that those softer requests had not yielded substantial results across Europe. “Previous American presidents have politely asked us: ‘Please, finally do more for your defense.’ But these requests across Europe have largely fallen on deaf ears,” Merz noted.
He continued, “Now we have an American president who says very directly: ‘Enough is enough.’ And I can’t blame him for that.”
The German leader emphasized that the existing figures reveal a significant imbalance within the alliance. Merz pointed to the disparity in financial contributions, stating, “We just need to look at the numbers: the United States covers about 80 percent of NATO’s defense resources, while Europe only covers about 20 percent.” He concluded that this situation is unacceptable. The data highlights the scale of the spending disparity.
The US allocates approximately $900 billion annually to defense, compared to the combined spending of its European NATO allies and Canada, which is around $570–575 billion per year. Merz’s assessment suggests that the current level of financial commitment from European partners warrants the strong pressure being applied by Trump, and he voiced support for the stance taken by Merz regarding the necessity of change.
Topics: #merz #trump #pressure
