German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that some American lawmakers do not understand the scale of Russia's rearmament campaign. The German leader made this statement a day after talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House, UNN reports citing Reuters.
I met with some senators on Capitol Hill and told them, please look at the rearmament that Russia is carrying out. They clearly have no idea what is happening there now," he said, without naming the senators.
Let's add
Russia has converted defense plants to round-the-clock production since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The aggressor state has signed arms supply agreements with North Korea and Iran, prompting European officials to warn that Moscow may soon be able to attack NATO territory.
The Russian Federation, which has increased its defense budget for 2025 to the highest level since the Cold War, denies any such intentions to attack NATO. The Russian government says it is conducting a "special military operation" in Ukraine to defend its own security in the face of what the aggressor state calls a hostile West.
Merz: Trump is a "key person" who can put pressure on Russia 05.06.25, 20:38 • [views_3529]
Merz, a conservative who came to power in May, is the latest European leader to visit Trump, hoping to convince him of the need to support Ukraine against Russia's invasion and to continue to help strengthen Europe's security through the NATO alliance.
The German Chancellor noted that he was reassured by the words Trump said during their public meeting in the Oval Office, especially the US President's "resolute no" to the question of whether the United States has plans to withdraw from NATO.
European countries are increasing defense spending after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered the bloodiest conflict on the continent since World War II.
Even before taking office, Merz rallied a special parliamentary majority to amend Germany's constitution to exempt military spending from most borrowing rules. Since then, he has pledged to spend another 1.5% of gross domestic product on dual-use military infrastructure.
Merz supported Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to increasing defense spending to more than double it to 5% of GDP in the future. Trump welcomed the pledge on Thursday and told Merz that US troops would remain in Germany.
In September last year, Russia said its defense budget would reach 13.5 trillion rubles in 2025, up 25% from the previous year, meaning military spending would absorb 32% of all government spending.
Let's remind
Friedrich Merz presented Donald Trump with a facsimile of his grandfather Friedrich Trump's birth certificate, later Frederick. The document was handed over during a meeting at the White House.