Berlin does not owe any debt to NATO: Defence minister

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Berlin owes NATO "vast sums of money" and must pay Washington more for defence. "There is no account where debts are registered with NATO," Von der Leyen said. She also noted that NATO spending should not be the only criteria used to measure Germany's military efforts. On Saturday Trump had tweeted that "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" His tweets came a day after he met Merkel in Washington, where the two leaders showed little common ground over a host of issues, including NATO and defence spending. Merkel said Berlin had committed to increasing its military spending to two per cent of GDP, a target NATO member states formally agreed in 2014 to reach within 10 years. Von der Leyen said on Sunday that Germany's increased military spending would not only go to NATO but would also be used for participating in UN and European peacekeeping missions and to contribute to the fight against the IS extremists.