Germany met NATO's target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2024, the government said on Monday, though well short of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's call for as much as 5%.

The return of Trump will once again put European defense spending levels at the center of the United States’ approach to NATO. Over the past several years, NATO members have boosted investments, with about 20 out of 32 members hitting the alliance’s benchmark of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

Germany has met NATO's 2% GDP defense spending target for 2024. This comes despite budget constraints and aligns with Chancellor Scholz's strategy since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, long-term military funding remains uncertain,

The leader of Germany's conservative CDU, the party's candidate to run for chancellor, said on Tuesday that the nation should focus on efforts to reach existing NATO defence spending targets before discussing any further increases.

Friedrich Merz, the German conservative who is the front-runner to become the next chancellor, downplayed a remark by US President-elect Donald Trump calling for NATO members to more than double defense spending.

BERLIN: Germany met NATO’s target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2024, the government

Germany met the NATO alliance's target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2024, finance ministry sources said on Monday, and finished the year with a reserve of 10.7 billion euros ($11.