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Scholz announces a turnaround – more spending for the Bundeswehr in the future
STORY: Note: This post will be broadcast without narration. O-Ton Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal Chancellor: “Ladies and gentlemen, in view of the turning point that Putin’s aggression means, our standard is: What is needed to secure peace in Europe will be done. Germany will show its solidarity But it is not enough to state this clearly and unequivocally today, because the Bundeswehr needs strong new skills for this.Anyone who reads Putin’s historicizing treatise, who has seen his public declaration of war on Ukraine on television or who, like me, recently spent hours with him personally has spoken, he can no longer have any doubts: Putin wants to establish a Russian empire. He wants to fundamentally reorganize the situation in Europe according to his ideas. And he does not shy away from military force. We see that today in Ukraine. We have to ask ourselves, what capabilities does Putin’s Russia have and what capabilities do we need to make this happen? threat to meet? Today and in the future. The goal is an efficient, highly modern, progressive Bundeswehr that protects us reliably. At the Munich Security Conference a week ago, I said that we need airplanes that fly, ships that set sail and soldiers that are optimally equipped for their missions. It’s all about this. And that is certainly achievable for a country of our size and importance in Europe. We will set up a Bundeswehr special fund for this purpose. And I am very grateful to Federal Minister of Finance Lindner for his support. The federal budget for 2022 will provide this special fund with a one-off amount of 100 billion euros. We will use the funds for necessary investments and armament projects. From now on, we will invest more than two percent of the gross domestic product in our defense every year.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced a massive expansion of the Bundeswehr in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.