Germany Says Europe Must Spend More on Defense

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel after meeting with the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday there was no question that Europe must spend more on defense, but said the debate on military spending needed to include work on sustainable development, Reuters reported. "There is no question that Europe will have to take more responsibility for that (military spending), but we cannot reduce security and peace policies to just the extent of military spending. That will not allow us to fight climate change, drought or poverty," he said.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany also voiced cautious optimism about the willingness of the (US President Donald) Trump administration to engage on Syria. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said the meeting was “particularly useful”, noting that it came a week before the UN-backed peace talks in Geneva are to resume.