German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, the leading candidate of the "Green" Party for the upcoming elections in Germany, warned today that democracy in the US is in danger under the rule of new President Donald Trump, DPA reported, BTA reported.
If "political interests" are added to current events and "the wealth of billionaires is combined with political interests and with ownership of infrastructure, then you get the wealth of power and the strength of power that can push democracy to its limits," said Habeck, speaking just hours before Trump was sworn in in Washington.
Habeck said he sincerely hopes this does not happen, but that people in Europe must take measures to protect themselves from such forces. "Europe must become stronger and more determined - that is the message of today", stressed Habeck.
Germany has reached NATO's goal of spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense by 2024, the government in Berlin said on Monday, Reuters reported, BTA also writes. The agency notes that the country is still far from the expectations of US President Donald Trump, who insists on spending 5% of gross domestic product.
Under the center-left government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany increased its military spending after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 to supply weapons to Kiev and also to modernize its own armed forces. But Germany, Europe's largest economy, is struggling with budget constraints, which has darkened the prospects for further long-term military spending commitments.
Trump, who is due to take office as president later today, recently said that NATO members should spend as much as 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. That would be a huge increase from the current target and a level that no NATO country, including the United States, is currently able to meet, Reuters noted.
Trump cut NATO defense funding in the second half of his first term in 2017-21 and has often complained that the United States pays more than its fair share. He has vowed to ask Europe to reimburse the United States for "nearly $200 billion" in munitions sent to Ukraine, and has not committed to sending additional aid to Kiev.