WHAT AN UTTERLY STUPID AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE WAY TO BE PETTY: Germany Plans to Renege on Pledge to Raise Military Spending, Defying Trump.

If confirmed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the move would mark a fresh step in the gradual estrangement between the U.S. and its erstwhile loyal European ally and comes after Mr. Trump’s repeated attacks of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders for not meeting a 2% military-spending target.

In recent months, Berlin has rebuked Washington’s demands that it limits gas purchases from Russia, ban Chinese components from its communication networks, and prevent German companies from doing business with Iran.

In another sign of Berlin pushing for Europe to chart a more independent geopolitical course, Ms. Merkel is planning an unprecedented summit between European Union heads of government and Chinese President Xi Jinping next year, European diplomats said Monday.

Ms. Merkel publicly pledged last year to increase German military expenditure to 1.5% of gross domestic product by 2024 and bring it closer to the 2% level members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have set themselves as a target. The promise followed mounting and increasingly overt pressure by Washington under Mr. Trump.

Berlin currently spends about €43 billion ($49 billion) or over 1.2% of GDP on defense. Under the new budget plan, unveiled by the finance ministry Monday, the spending would rise to 1.37% of GDP next year, but then decrease again to 1.33% in 2019, 1.29% in 2022 and 1.25% in 2023.

Germany has chosen preemptive surrender to Russia (for energy, which we could supply) and to China (for tech, ditto). Between Erdogan and Merkel, there isn’t much left of an effective NATO.