Pistorius urged Germany to boost defence spending beyond 2 per cent
Germany should in the future spend "significantly more than 2 per cent" of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, assessed German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in an article for the newspaper "Welt am Sonntag".
Currently, "for the first time in decades," Germany is spending 2 per cent of its GDP on defence, "but it is also clear that it is not enough," the minister stated.
Therefore, "a conversation about sustainable financing and adjusting the debt brake is necessary", Pistorius wrote.
He also emphasised that "further significant support for Ukraine is of crucial importance".
Only when Ukraine is able to defend its sovereignty can we pave the way for fair negotiations and peace, declared the head of the defence ministry.
According to the German minister, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is firmly implementing this course. "He initiated a paradigm shift in German security and defence policy, which we have jointly implemented over the past three years," Pistorius reminded.
Defence spending of at least 2 per cent of GDP has been a NATO goal for years. However, Germany has fallen short of this for many years. It was only under the influence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, that these expenditures have significantly increased.
The regular German government budget for defence is just under £44 billion this year, and an additional £16.5 billion for this purpose comes in 2024 from a special Bundeswehr fund, the portal tagesschau reminded.
