Germany does not have to shy away from talking up its record on defense spending, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, when asked about US President Donald Trump calling Germany's past efforts "ridiculous," Reuters reports.

The issue of defense spending has loomed large as NATO leaders prepare to gather next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the continent.

Trump took to Truth Social to lambast the defense spending records of NATO allies this week. "Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal," said one post. In another, he said Germany's spending was "MUCH LOWER" between 2014-2025 than the U.S. or other NATO allies, adding "Ridiculous!"

"Germany is doubling its defense budget within four years. This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defense capabilities. In this respect, we have no reason to shy away from anyone," Merz told reporters. "We will state this, with all due modesty, and we are doing so as the European Union’s largest member state, bearing a responsibility within Europe."

"We will reach the 3.5% benchmark set in The Hague as early as 2029, well ahead of the agreed deadline," Merz said as he hosted leaders of the Baltic states in Berlin.

In The Hague last year, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defense items such as weapons and troops by 2035—up from a previous goal of 2%.

The past 12 months have severely strained the alliance, with Trump threatening to take Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark and then waging a war against Iran that roiled the global economy without consulting European allies.

The war also rattled personal ties between Trump and European leaders including Merz, who said the US was being humiliated by Iran.