German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday said defence companies could count on his government ramping up military spending and that it would meet its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on NATO defence.
Scholz was speaking after former U.S. President Donald Trump sparked outrage among U.S. allies by suggesting the United States might not protect fellow NATO members who are not spending enough on defence against a potential Russian invasion.
“We have to move away from manufacturing towards large-scale production of defence equipment,” Scholz said.
“Not only the United States, but all European countries must do even more to support Ukraine. The pledges made so far are not enough. Germany’s power alone is not enough.”
Scholz said the military and Germany’s defence industry could now depend on Berlin’s commitment to meet the 2% NATO target.