NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday hailed German plans to increase defence spending by 80 percent by 2024 as "a step in the right direction" amid US demands for Europe to pay its way. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly lashed European allies for failing to meet a commitment to spend two percent of GDP on defence by 2024, with economic powerhouse Germany coming in for particular criticism.
Germany's announcement that it is increasing its defence budget looks to have brought some relief in a row that threatens to dominate a summit of NATO leaders next month. "I welcome the fact that Germany has stopped the cuts... and also (has) plans to increase defence spending by 80 percent over a decade," Stoltenberg said as he arrived for a gathering of all 29 NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
"This is steps in the right direction, I welcome them and it is part of a pattern we now see across Europe and Canada, where allies are spending more."