Germany's Scholz commits to spending 2% on defense 'in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond'

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday affirmed his country's commitment to spending 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, this year and over the long-term.
• "Germany will invest 2% of its GDP on defense in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond," Scholz told the Munich Security Conference.

MUNICH, Germany — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday reaffirmed Berlin's commitment to spend 2% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, this year and over the longer term.

"Germany will invest 2% of its GDP on defense in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond," Scholz told the Munich Security Conference.

Germany has this commitment in 2024 through regular and special budget outlays for the first time since the early 1990s, a defense ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

"We Europeans must take much more care of our own security, now and in the future," Scholz said.

It comes as NATO members across Europe have committed to upping their defense spending.

Eighteen of the US-led military alliance's 31 members will meet the 2% spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

"We are making real progress," Stoltenberg said. "European allies are spending more."

The announcement came just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members that fail to meet their 2% spending target.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Saturday said that the U.S. had a right to ask European countries to do more to meet their defense spending targets, but he insisted that this should not be at the behest of the potential U.S. presidential candidate.

"Stop moaning and whining and