German Minister of Defense promised the US more active involvement of Berlin in military matters, said chair of the Christian Democratic Union during a visit to Washington, where she met for the first time with Pentagon chief Mark Esper.

According to her, in this case we are talking not only about the amount of defense spending, but also about the readiness of the FRG to participate in military missions, DW reported.

In the budget of Germany for 2020, military spending is laid at 1.37 percent of GDP.

Speaking about the conflict with Iran and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer noted: “I made very clear that Germany is ready to be involved, but only in a European mission.”

The head of the US Department of Defense, in turn, expressed confidence that Berlin should invest more in NATO. “German leadership is essential. It's more important than ever,” Esper said.