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According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, 18 of the 31 member states will reach this year the figure of 2% that must be allocated to defense. Germany is one of them that for the first time after a long time will reach this figure, which must be allocated for military expenses this year.
European partners' spending will reach a total of 380 billion dollars (about 355 billion euros), Stoltenberg said, ahead of the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday (15.02.). According to NATO's decision, each member state must invest two percent of its domestic production for defense.
In this context, the statements made at the weekend by the Republican candidate for president of the USA, Donald Trump, have caused a great stir. Trump said he would not defend NATO countries attacked by Russia that do not meet their military spending obligations. In this way, he questioned the alliance's obligation to provide assistance to each member country in danger. This statement has caused harsh criticism, especially in Europe.
Record amounts
Germany reaches this target in 2024 for the first time in a long time. Authorities have announced that Germany's planned budget will meet the two percent target for the first time since the early 1990s. A Defense Ministry spokesman in Berlin confirmed this without giving any concrete figures. For the 2024 defense budget, 19.8 billion euros have been allocated from special funds, around 52 billion euros have been allocated for the Bundeswehr, and another 14 billion euros for the Ministry of Defense./DW
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