Trump tells Merkel to pay her ‘fair share’ of Nato budget

DONALD TRUMP told Angela Merkel it was “essential” that Germany pay more for defence amid tensions over Nato spending.

Mr Trump denied having a frosty personal relationship with the German chancellor, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek at the White House, and calling her an “extraordinary woman”.

However, her visit lasted less than three hours, while Emmanuel Macron, the French president, enjoyed a threeday lavish state visit earlier this week.

In a 30-minute Oval Office meeting Mrs Merkel pressed Mr Trump not to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, and to step back from tariffs on steel and aluminium. But in response Mr Trump said Germany should meet the Nato goal of spending two per cent of its GDP on defence.

Mrs Merkel said her country would spend 1.3 per cent in 2019, an increase over previous years. She admitted it was “perhaps not, from the president’s perspective, fast enough”.

Mr Trump said: “We talked about the security of Europe and the responsibility of European nations to properly contribute to their own defence.

“All member states must honour their commitment to two per cent, and hopefully much more, of GDP, on defence. It is essential our allies increase so everyone is paying their fair share. A lot of countries have stepped up. They have to keep going.”

Mrs Merkel objected to Mr Trump’s decision to introduce trade tariffs on steel and aluminium: “We had an exchange of views on where we stand on this,” she said.

On the Iran nuclear deal, Mrs Merkel said: “We will see what decisions are made by the US. We will continue to be in very close talks on this.”