Robert Habeck has said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s demand that NATO allies increase their defence spending to 5 per cent of gross domestic product is unrealistic.
Habeck, German Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister, said this during an interview with newsmen on Thursday.
“What Donald Trump is proposing is unrealistic. We will not end up with 5 per cent,’’ Habeck told the Funke media group.
The Greens minister called for increasing defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, stressing that the increase would be temporary.
“3.5 per cent is roughly what is currently being discussed in NATO as a medium-term goal.
“If we ensure a reasonable level of security for Germany, in a few years, we will be able to reduce spending again,’’ Habeck said.
In December, Trump’s team informed European officials that his new administration would require allies to commit to spending 5 per cent of their domestic industrial output on defence.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said defence spending should be significantly higher than the current two per cent.
