Germany’s Merz admits Europe has been a ‘free-rider’ on US defense

European nations have acted like “free-riders” on the United States when it comes to defense, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted.

Merz told the BBC in an interview that the continent was now better at defending itself. But he appeared to acknowledge arguments pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump that NATO allies must to more to ramp up their own security spending.

“We know we have to do more on our own and we have been free-riders in the past,” Merz said. “They’re asking us to do more and we are doing more.”

Last month, NATO members agreed to spend five percent of their GDP on defense, including 3.5 percent on “hard defense” like weapons and troops.

Berlin has pledged to reach that 3.5 percent spending target by 2029, marking the country’s most ambitious rearmament effort since the end of the Cold War. It means passing significant constitutional reforms allowing huge borrowing.

Merz has met Donald Trump three times since becoming chancellor in May and told the BBC he got on well with the U.S. president.

“I think President Trump is on the same page; we are trying to bring this war [in Ukraine] to an end,” said Merz. “We are on the phone once a week; we are co-ordinating our efforts.”

But the chancellor said he had not changed his mind that Trump was “largely indifferent to the fate of Europe,” a comment he made after his election victory in February.

Trump was, Merz argued, “not as clear and as committed as former U.S. presidents were, former U.S. administrations were.”

Merz said of the spending uplift: “We are not strong enough, our army is not strong enough, so that’s the reason why we are spending a lot of money.”