NATO Not Owed Money by Germany Despite Trump Statements - Mattis

Germany will meet its commitments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) despite comments made by US President Donald Trump the country owes the alliance money, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Mattis’ comment came in response to a question about Twitter messages sent by Trump after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which he said Germany owed "vast sums of money to NATO."

U.S. President Donald Trump and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel watch as reporters enter the room before their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 17, 2017

© REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst

"I cannot give you an accounting for past money owed, because that’s not the way we do that in NATO," Mattis stted. "We do it through capabilities. That’s the commitment each nation makes."

Mattis noted he expects Germany to contribute 2 percent of its GDP to NATO as per the alliance’s requirement for each member state.