German president: Nato can count on our contribution to European defence
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier has marked 70 years of Nato membership with a firm assurance of his country's commitment to the alliance.
He was attending a ceremony at Nato headquarters in Brussels to celebrate the anniversary of West Germany first becoming a member in 1955.
President Steinmeier, who laid a wreath to mark the event, described that day as "a key that opened up my nation's path to peace, prosperity and unification".
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Steinmeier sought to reassure Nato allies who have become nervous about what he called geopolitical shifts.
"Today, with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war against Ukraine raging on in full force and with the United States putting fierce pressure on its European allies, Germany is in a crucial position," he said.
"You can count on us. We will strive to make Germany, both its military and its infrastructure, the backbone of conventional defence in Europe."
Germany has recently lifted a limit on its defence spending, breaking with post-war tradition, triggered by concerns that Europe can no longer fully depend on the US, in particular over Ukraine.
Germany now says it needs a strong military, not to fight wars, but to prevent them.
While a divided West Germany joined Nato in 1955, East Germany later became part of the alliance after German reunification in 1990.
Nato currently has 32 member states.
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