German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her country will stick to its long-term commitment to raise defense spending to levels agreed with NATO partners — but no hurry about it. Merkel said that "Germany is conscious of its responsibility" to spend more on arms but added other issues are also important for global security. She said Germany would stick to the long-term goal of raising defense spending to 2 percent of economic output by 2024. Merkel said Germany had increased defense spending by 8 percent in this year's budget over last year. He has emphasized the need for all members to pay a fair share for defense, an issue that NATO leaders themselves have pushed for years.

Source: ABC News February 17, 2017 13:42 UTC