Last week, Merz voiced skepticism regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace efforts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, doubting they would be fruitful.
“I want the United States to collaborate with us to address this issue for as long as necessary,” Merz stated. “Diplomacy isn’t about making instant changes and solving everything quickly. It’s a prolonged process.”
Regarding security guarantees meant to shield Ukraine from another Russian assault in the event of a peace deal, Merz said, “The foremost priority is to support the Ukrainian army to ensure they can defend the country in the long term. That is the absolute priority, and we will start doing that immediately.”
When asked if Germany would consider sending troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire occurred, Merz emphasized that any foreign military deployment required Bundestag’s consent. He didn’t detail what such a deployment might entail or if he supported it.
Despite significant increases in military spending, Germany has faced challenges in recruiting and equipping combat-ready soldiers, with troop numbers remaining around 182,000 despite considerable efforts to expand.
In Sunday’s interview, Merz defended his coalition’s groundbreaking decision to ease the debt limit for defense spending — facilitated by an unexpected shift by Merz’s conservatives post-election — and even tied it to NATO’s preservation.
“We essentially maintained NATO through our decision,” he remarked.
“I attended the NATO summit in The Hague [June 24-25]. Had we not amended the constitution and agreed to let Germany spend 3.5 percent on defense plus 1.5 percent on necessary infrastructure, NATO might have fallen apart that day. We averted that.”
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