In a meeting with Baltic leaders, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz played up Germany's defense spending. It comes after new criticism from President Donald Trump that Germany is lagging behind other NATO allies.

Friedrich Merz recalled that Germany plans to raise its defense spending to 3.5% of national GDP by 2029

Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended Germany's defense spending, stating the nation is significantly increasing its budget, a move he described as an unprecedented effort to bolster…