Germany to double defense spending by 2029: what Merz and Rutte say

On the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a significant increase in the allies’ defense spending, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced plans to sharply increase the country’s military budget.

It was reported by Deutsche Welle.

According to Rutte, European countries and Canada are significantly increasing their defense spending and are already approaching US spending levels.

“As for spending among European allies and Canada, the evidence we are seeing is impressive,” the NATO Secretary General said.

He noted that in 2025–2026, the allies will allocate an additional USD 258 billion to strengthen their defense.

Germany will be one of the countries planning the most significant increase in military spending. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Berlin intends to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2029.

According to the government’s plans, the country’s defense budget will grow by nearly 30% in 2027, reaching EUR 110 billion.

“This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defense capabilities. In this regard, we have no reason to shy away from anyone,” Merz emphasized.

According to the publication, one of the chancellor’s key tasks at the NATO summit will be to demonstrate Europe’s readiness to play a stronger role in ensuring collective security within the Alliance.

At the same time, Mark Rutte called on NATO member states to present concrete and convincing plans for further increasing defense spending.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Warsaw does not plan to announce additional financial aid for Ukraine during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.

Meanwhile, the United States has warned Poland that russia, the aggressor state, is planning an armed “provocation” on Polish territory to test NATO’s resolve. Moscow has not yet made a final decision on carrying out such an operation.