German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told US President Donald Trump on Friday that Germany is prepared to assume greater responsibility for European security, as the two leaders aligned positions ahead of next week's NATO summit in the Turkish capital.
During the phone call, Merz offered his congratulations on Saturday's 250th anniversary of US independence and underscored the "special bond" between the German and American people, according to a statement from the chancellor's spokesman.
The discussion focused heavily on preparations for the Ankara summit, where Europe's defense burden and Washington's long-term commitment to the alliance are expected to dominate the agenda.
"The chancellor emphasized that Germany is assuming greater responsibility for security in the Euro-Atlantic region," spokesman Stefan Kornelius said. "NATO is becoming more European so that it can remain transatlantic."
Merz and Trump agreed to continue their conversation in person at the Ankara summit, the spokesman added.
The call followed Trump's renewed criticism of European NATO allies — particularly Germany — for, in his view, failing to share the alliance's burden and spending too little on defense.
In posts on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump called it "ridiculous" for the US to continue what he described as a "one-sided" relationship in which Washington shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden.
Trump posted a chart comparing defense spending across NATO members and wrote: "Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!"
In an earlier post, he singled out Germany: "The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing. Others, including Germany, are MUCH LOWER. (2014-2025) Ridiculous!"
