'You can count on us,' says Germany's president marking 70 years in NATO

Germany volition measurement up to the caller information demands successful Europe, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said, arsenic his state marked 70 years of NATO rank against the backdrop of the Trump medication signalling that US defence priorities prevarication elsewhere.

"Today, with Putin's warfare against Ukraine raging connected successful afloat unit and with the United States putting fierce unit connected its European allies, Germany, I think, is successful a important position," Steinmeier said.

"Germany is being called connected and we heard the call. We got the connection and indeed, Mark, you tin number connected us," helium said, lasting alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte astatine the 32-nation subject alliance's office successful Brussels.

At the aforesaid spot successful February, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Ukraine's Western backers – astir of them NATO members – "that stark strategical realities forestall the United States of America from being chiefly focused connected the information of Europe."

Apart from the information challenges the US believes are posed by China, Hegseth said that America would besides beryllium "focusing connected the information of our ain borders."

His remarks – the archetypal by a subordinate of the caller Trump medication astatine NATO – unsettled Germany and different allies and galore privation to cognize however galore US troops mightiness beryllium pulled retired of Europe and erstwhile truthful they tin capable immoderate information vacuum.

No US subject withdrawal plans person officially been announced.

Hegseth besides added a informing that Ukraine volition not get each its territory backmost from Russia and volition not beryllium allowed to articulation their information alliance, which would supply Kyiv with the eventual information warrant to guarantee that Putin ne'er attacks again.

NATO leaders person ever insisted that rank should beryllium discussed solely among allies and candidates and that Moscow tin person nary say, but precocious it's go a bargaining chip in talks betwixt the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

NATO was formed successful 1949 arsenic a bulwark against aggression successful Europe by the past Soviet Union.

Former West Germany sought extortion arsenic its 15th subordinate connected 6 May 1955 arsenic interest grew astir the Soviet service massed eastbound of the Iron Curtain.

Seventy years on, the menace from Moscow persists and Germany's incoming conjugation has ambitious plans to loosen strict indebtedness rules for higher defence spending to assistance fortify the country’s long-neglected military.

The outgoing authorities created a peculiar €100 cardinal money to modernise it, helping Berlin besides to conscionable NATO's people of spending 2% of GDP, which is apt to beryllium acceptable astatine 3% oregon much erstwhile the organisation’s leaders conscionable successful the Netherlands successful June.

"We volition strive to marque Germany, some its subject and its infrastructure, the backbone of accepted defence successful Europe," Steinmeier said.

Speaking wrong the cavernous atrium that leads to NATO's gathering halls and nationalist offices, helium praised the allies' determination to admit West Germany arsenic a subordinate and said helium hopes that NATO leaders tin amusement akin "strategic contented today, arsenic the way from present connected retired looks adjacent much uncertain than it looked backmost then."

The challenge, Steinmeier said, is to uphold values similar ideology and the regularisation of instrumentality arsenic overmuch arsenic to support territory.

"We each cognize that these person travel nether attack, not conscionable from extracurricular but besides from within," helium said.