Merz Says NATO Must Bolster Defense Spending
(MENAFN) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged NATO to boost its defense expenditures, cautioning that Russia’s increasing boldness poses a serious risk to Europe’s stability and security.
He emphasized that strengthening military capabilities is essential in the face of the evolving geopolitical environment.
In remarks delivered before a key NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Merz described the event as "historic" and voiced confidence that participants would endorse the proposed defense budget increase.
“I expect that we will make a joint decision today to provide NATO with significantly better resources in the future. We will decide that NATO will provide an additional 3.5 percent for our armed forces and an additional 1.5 percent for infrastructure,” he stated.
The Chancellor stressed that NATO allies widely recognize the altered security dynamics, highlighting the growing menace from Moscow.
“Russia is not just threatening Ukraine; Russia is threatening the entire peace and political order of our continent,” Merz warned.
He added, "I want to state explicitly that the decisions we make are not to do anyone a favor. Rather, we make these decisions based on our own knowledge and conviction that NATO as a whole—and this particularly applies to the European part of NATO—must do more in the coming years to secure its own defense capability."
On Wednesday, NATO member states are anticipated to reach a consensus on a proposal by US President Donald Trump to raise military spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product, a sharp increase from the alliance’s present 2 percent target.
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