Germany will pull its weight in NATO, defence minister tells Pentagon

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius sought to assure the United States, Germany's most important NATO ally, that Berlin is willing to assume more military responsibility for security in Europe and the world.

At the same time, Pistorius called on the US government not to let up on its joint commitment in Europe.

"We both will continue to work closely as partners, as allies, and as friends. This is more important than ever in this world, and I'm confident that we can achieve much together," said Pistorius at a meeting with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon.

Pistorius was received on Thursday with full military honours at the headquarters of the US Defense Department.

The ceremony included an extended honour guard and military band.

Pistorius is currently on a visit to both the US and Canada, a trip intended to make Germany's renewed commitment to military defence clear to both North American NATO partners.

In the run-up to the NATO summit in Washington in July, Pistorius is seeking to alter a critical view of Germany that emerged in previous years, with multiple US presidents sharply critical of German defence policy and low investment in the country's military.

Former president Donald Trump, who hopes to return to the White House next year, was particularly vocal and public with his harsh criticism of Germany.

Pistorius said that Germany was prepared to make "more contributions to fair trans-Atlantic burden-sharing."

He cited increased German defence spending that now is above NATO's target of at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), as well as preparations to permanently deploy a brigade to Lithuania and leadership in a European air defence initiative.