The United States ambassador to Germany on Thursday accused the German government of pursuing a hypocritical policy toward the NATO military alliance.
"It seems hypocritical to say that we should reform NATO while not aiming for the 2%," Richard Grenell told Bild newspaper, referring to an alliance goal of spending at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.
He said he also found it surprising "how many German politicians try to talk about the 2% as a mere aim, but not a true commitment."
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Grenell and US President Donald Trump have repeatedly criticized Germany's long-standing reluctance to increase its defense budget.
NATO members agreed at a summit in 2014 to meet the 2% target by 2024. But German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said earlier this year that spending would equal 1.25% of GDP by then.