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Merz Admits Europe Was a Defense Free-Rider and Signs UK Aid Treaty

He outlined Germany’s plan to hit a 3.5 percent defense spending target by 2029 through major borrowing reforms.

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Overview

  • Chancellor Friedrich Merz conceded that European nations long relied on U.S. security guarantees and must now bolster their own military capacity.
  • Germany will amend its constitution to loosen debt restrictions and finance a buildup aimed at meeting NATO’s 3.5 percent GDP hard-defense goal by 2029.
  • Under the Kensington Treaty with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Germany and the UK are bound to provide mutual military assistance in the event of an attack.
  • Merz and President Trump have instituted weekly strategic calls to coordinate efforts toward ending the war in Ukraine.
  • NATO members last month agreed to boost defense spending to five percent of GDP, allocating 3.5 percent to conventional forces and 1.5 percent to infrastructure and cyber security.