NATO marks German accession in event overshadowed by war, uncertainty

A celebration of Germany's accession to NATO almost 70 years ago is being held on Monday in Brussels.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius are due to attend the ceremony at the alliance headquarters, at an event hosted by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Germany became the 15th member of the transatlantic defence alliance on May 6, 1955. NATO now has 32 member countries.

But the celebration is overshadowed by the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine and uncertainty about the future of the alliance.

NATO is undergoing profound upheaval, mainly due to Washington's decision to take significantly less responsibility for European security than in the past.

US President Donald Trump recently said that the European allies must manage the continent's conventional defence and deterrence themselves in future, with only nuclear deterrence set to see no changes.

Last year, US contributions made up more than 60% of the total defence expenditure of NATO states, so European allies now must invest massive sums in defence and rearmament.

Germany's accession is being celebrated before May in order for Steinmeier and Rutte both to be able to attend. Also, under current planning, Friedrich Merz is to be elected as the new chancellor by Germany's Bundestag on May 6.