The German Defense Ministry sharply disagreed with Trump’s claim that it should pay more to NATO. Trump tweeted that he had a “great” meeting with Angela Merkel, but his famous art-of-the-deal left her unconvinced.

The U.S. keeps 62,000 military personnel in the European Union, compared to 1.7 million from EU states.

“On Sunday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen called the criticism “inaccurate,” without mentioning the president’s name.


“NATO does not have a debt account,” von der Leyen said, according to her ministry.

“In reality, NATO has only a small logistical budget, which relies on funding by all member states. The vast majority of NATO members’ total resources are managed domestically.
The criticism echoed that of other experts, including former U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder. 

“Trump’s comments misrepresent the way NATO functions,” Daalder told The Washington Post on Saturday. “The president keeps saying that we need to be paid by the Europeans for the fact that we have troops in Europe or provide defense there. But that’s not how it works.

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Von der Leyen also indirectly criticized Trump’s plan to reduce funding for U.N. peacekeeping missions. German defense expenditure was not exclusively dedicated to NATO missions, she emphasized, and additional German funding would be used for U.N. peacekeeping missions, for instance. “What we want is a fair burden-sharing, and in order to achieve that, we need a modern understanding of security,” von der Leyen said.
The rather unusual rebuke of Trump by a German defense minister indicates growing concerns in Berlin over transatlantic relations.

“The percentage of Germans who view the United States as a trustworthy ally has dropped from 59 percent in November to 22 percent in February.

“In recent months, Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s outspoken vice chancellor and foreign minister, has even called Trump a “threat.

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This is a shift in a nation that has long considered itself one of the United States’ closest allies, although at times an uncomfortable one. Germany’s foreign policy is still shaped by memories of World War II, and foreign military operations are deeply unpopular with German voters. Instead of boosting its defense spending, Germany has historically invested more in development aid and deepened its economic ties with other nations.



“But Germany is also the largest European host nation for U.S. troops, home to about 30,000 American service members.

“Theoretically, Trump could threaten to withdraw some of those troops and move them elsewhere. But such a move would make little strategic sense for the United States, which relies on its military bases in Germany such as Ramstein for operations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Over the past decade, U.S. bases in Germany have mostly benefited America.”