German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the NATO summit in The Hague as a historic event, emphasizing the importance of increasing defense spending by member states in response to the threat posed by Russia.
He stressed that this commitment is not made to honor the United States and its president, but rather to confront the real and immediate danger from Russia.
Merz highlighted Germany’s plan to raise its defense budget with the goal of making the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army in Europe, ready to defend the country and support its allies.
Reflecting on the past, he said that Germany and Europe ignored warnings from Baltic neighbors about the Russian threat for too long, adding:
“There is no turning back from this.”
Regarding the deployment of German troops to Lithuania, Merz stated:
“The security of Lithuania is also the security of Germany.”
In May, Germany sent for the first time since World War II a military unit of 4,800 troops and 200 civilian staff to Lithuania, aiming to deter any possible Russian aggression against the Baltic states.
