In July, NATO countries decided to invest at least two percent of their gross domestic product in defense. Secretary General Stoltenberg sees Germany “on the right track,” but that is not enough.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Germany to significantly increase its defense spending. “In the Cold War, when Konrad Adenauer or Willy Brandt ruled, defense spending was three to four percent of economic output,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group, according to the preliminary report. “We did it then, and we have to do it again today.”
Stoltenberg recalled the decision at the NATO summit in Vilnius last July that two percent of gross domestic product was the minimum. He assumes that many allies will exceed this goal.
“I was head of government myself for many years and know how difficult it is to budget more money for defense when higher spending on health, education or infrastructure is also necessary. But when tensions increase, defense spending has to be increased,” said Stoltenberg .
Germany “well on the way” to NATO’s goal
In Germany’s efforts to achieve NATO’s goal of investing two percent of economic output in defense, Stoltenberg confirmed that the federal government is “well on the way” to achieving this. “It makes a huge difference for the alliance whether Europe’s largest country adheres to this requirement or not,” said the NATO Secretary General. “Two percent of a large cake is more than two percent of a small cake.”
Stoltenberg does not expect the fighting in Ukraine to end quickly. “Most wars last longer than expected when they started. That’s why we need to prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” he said. “We all want a quick peace. At the same time, we must recognize that if President Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. If President Putin and Russia stop arms, we will have peace.”