German Chancellor Angela Merkel | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Angela Merkel: NATO must refocus on Russia threat Challenges for the military alliance ‘have changed drastically in recent years,’ German chancellor says.

BERLIN — NATO must focus on setting up a presence at the alliance's eastern flank to defend itself from potential Russian aggression, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

Her remarks ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Brussels next week will be seen as a strong reaffirmation of the military alliance's relevance and a statement from Europe's most powerful leader of what she sees as its future direction. There are fears that U.S. President Donald Trump, who will attend the summit and has in the past referred to it as "obsolete", will next week seek to undermine NATO further.

"The challenges for NATO have changed drastically in recent years," Merkel said in a video statement published Saturday, adding that after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its military activities in eastern Ukraine, it is important "to focus more on defending the alliance."

"To do that we [must] make necessary arrangements, for example through a presence in Central and Eastern European countries," she said.

Following the meeting, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, and there are fears that Trump might take actions that are not coordinated with NATO.

"Of course, we want to have a responsible relationship with Russia," Merkel said in the statement, adding "that's the reason why we will continue to have talks in the NATO-Russia Council."

At the same time though, the alliance "has to show determination to protect us," she said.

In Brussels, Trump is widely expected to repeat his previous criticism directed at other countries, including Germany, about what he perceives as insufficient spending on defense.

Germany is currently spending 1.24 percent of its economic output on its military and will bring this up to 1.31 percent next year.

Although Europe's richest country has boosted its military spending for four years in a row, its overall expenditure still remains far below a target formulated by all NATO members during a 2014 meeting in Wales, where they agreed to bring spending up to 2 percent of GDP within 10 years.

Earlier this week, Merkel and her Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said they are committed to bringing up German military spending to 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024 and to reaching the 2 percent goal at a later date.

In Saturday's video statement, Merkel mentioned the Wales summit pledge but did not say when Germany would reach the target.