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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that Germany is ready to assume greater responsibility for European security, as the two leaders discussed preparations for next week's NATO summit in Ankara.
During the phone call, Merz congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which falls on Saturday, and emphasized the "special bond" between the German and American people, according to a statement from the German chancellor's spokesman.
The talks focused heavily on preparations for the Ankara summit, where Europe's defense burden and Washington's long-term commitment to NATO are expected to be major agenda items.
"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," he added.
Merz and Trump agreed to continue their conversation in person at the Ankara summit, the spokesman said.
The call came after Trump renewed his criticism of European NATO allies, particularly Germany, accusing them of 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 U.S. to continue what he described as a "one-sided" relationship in which Washington carries 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, Trump 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!" he wrote.
The Ankara summit is expected to include discussions on Europe's defense responsibilities and the future of NATO's transatlantic security framework.
Merz's message to Trump underlined Germany's position that it is prepared to take on a larger role in Euro-Atlantic security.
The two leaders are expected to continue the discussion at next week's NATO summit in the Turkish capital.
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