NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Germany and other European nations to increase their defense budget, DW reported.

He noted that it is not about pleasing the U.S. and about the security of Europe. According to him, it is because of Europe's close proximity to areas of conflict including Russia, Syria and Iraq, that boosting defense expenditure is essential.

Germany currently budgets about 1.2% of its GDP for military spending. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the goal of spending 2% of the nation's GDP on military expenditures was not "reachable" or “desirable.”

A Social Democrat colleague of Gabriel's, MP Hans-Peter Bartels who specializes in military policy, recently suggested 1.5% of GDP as a more realistic target for German military spending.