Donald Trump claims Germany owes the US and Nato ‘vast sums of money’ for defence of Europe against Russia, by Patrick Knox.

Despite running £234billion budget surplus, Germany just spends 1.23% of GDP while debt laden UK coughs up the required 2%. …

Tweeting a day after an awkward meeting with German leader Angela Merkel, Trump demanded Berlin should cough up billions of Euros more on defence. …

Only the US and four other Nato members – including the UK – currently reach the alliance’s benchmark of spending on defence which is 2% of GDP.

And today Trump tweeted: “Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides to Germany!” …

Trump set the tone for his relations with Merkel during his campaign last year, saying her decision to allow close to a million refugees into Germany was a “catastrophic mistake” and suggested she was “ruining Germany”.