Europe appears to have accepted the prospect of acting independently of the United States, with a new rearmament program proposed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, last week.
Europe plans rearmament without U.S.
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Tag: Germany
Arms sales jump as global supply struggles to meet demand while defence budgets grapple with national politics
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As NATO races to supply Ukraine before Trump takes office, Europe is struggling to touch two percent of its GDP on defence expenditure while Russia plans to spend more than 32 percent of its national budget on its military.
German Army secret paper preps for war with Russia – Report
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The strategy paper that is said to be an evolving, ‘living document,’ includes ‘detailed plans’ for eventualities that range from defending Germany to deterring Russian manoeuvres on NATO’s eastern flank and anticipates that Germany might have to become a ‘hub for tens or hundreds of thousands of troops’ that have to be transported east, besides logistics for war materiel.
German defence minister: Damage to Baltic Sea cables likely sabotage
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Damage to submarine communication cables between new NATO members Finland and Sweden and their alliance partners Germany and Lithuania was likely sabotage, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. “No one believes that these cables were cut by mistake,” Pistorius said in Brussels at an EU defence ministers meeting to discuss the different threats facing the European Union.
Germany’s Scholz speaks with Putin for first time in nearly 2 years
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Shortly before the conversation with Putin, however, Scholz also reiterated in remarks to parliament that Germany would not supply Ukraine with the long-range Taurus cruise missiles, which Ukraine has repeatedly requested.
Survey finds Germans favour hiked defence spending
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In the September survey, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius’ (SPD) proposal to increase defence spending to 3% to 3.5% of the gross domestic product received 50% approval, while 15% said that was too low.
Kremlin awaiting first move from Germany after hints from Scholz
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No signals have as yet been received from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on resuming dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite statements to the effect by Scholz, according to the Kremlin.
German Cabinet approves new military service model to boost numbers
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Russia’s war on Ukraine has prompted Germany to revisit its defence posture, which increasingly suffered from a lack of investment since the end of the Cold War as imminent threats appeared to diminish. The legislation must now pass through Germany’s two houses of parliament. It could come into force in May of next year.
Rheinmetall, Leonardo to build tanks in Italy
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German arms company Rheinmetall and Italy’s Leonardo will build the Panther KF51 Main Battle Tank for the Italian Army via a new company in addition to building a thousand variants of the Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
Germany’s Baerbock backs U.S. missiles to deter Russia
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The U.S. and German governments announced plans for the deployment of U.S. missile systems that could reach Russia. These include nuclear-capable Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometres, SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly-developed hypersonic missiles.
Kremlin slams plans for long-range U.S. weapons in Germany
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Russia has criticized the planned stationing of long-range US weapons in Germany as a return to the Cold War, after German leaders said the step was necessary due to the increased threat posed by Russia to European security. “We are well on the way to a Cold War. This has all happened before,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Germany to surrender key airbase in Niger after talks fail
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While French troops had left the military-run country last year, the last U.S. troops are also expected to imminently depart the country, with Russian troops already on site to take their place after creating a presence in Mali and Burkina Faso, also taken over by the military.
German military rep slams planned defence spending
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German military spending is set to increase by only EUR 1.2 billion (USD 1.3 billion) under the terms of the preliminary 2025 national budget agreed on Friday, far below the demands of Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
Scholz guarantees Germany won’t be party to Ukraine war
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“Yes, I give this guarantee,” Scholz said in response to a question in the Bundestag parliament on Wednesday, echoing comments he had made before. “That’s what I stand for as chancellor.”
U.S. military bases in Europe alert for raised threats
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Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Monday that the raised alert status was due to a combination of factors and not related to a single threat, potentially impacting the safety and security of service members stationed in the European theatre.
