watch nowGermany's defense minister said on Saturday that his country's commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense was just the starting point and that more would likely be needed.
Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that the 2% spending target would be met "in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond."
However, Boris Pistorius, Germany's federal minister of defense, stressed that spending 2% was always designed to be a minimum.
This year, 18 of 31 NATO members are expected to reach the target — up from just three in 2014.
Pistorius cited growing geopolitical tensions around the world, including in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and Africa, as the reason he expects defense spending to increase.
Persons:
Olaf Scholz, Boris Pistorius, Pistorius, Donald Trump, Julia Nikhinson
Organizations:
CNBC, Munich Security, Afp, Getty, NATO
Locations:
Conway , South Carolina, Russia, Europe, Pacific, Africa