NATO Secretary General Rutte: 5 percent is sufficient for the Russian threat

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who is visiting Berlin as part of the events marking the 70th anniversary of his country's NATO membership. German Chancellor Merz and Secretary General Rutte held a press conference following their meeting.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that during the meeting, they conducted a general assessment of the NATO summit held recently in The Hague, Netherlands. Merz said that the steps they are taking to increase NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities are not being done as a favor to anyone.

German Chancellor Merz said, "We will do this not to please NATO, but to strengthen our common security. If Germany had not followed this path, the NATO summit in The Hague would certainly have ended differently. In this respect, we have done and will continue to do things not for ourselves, but for our common security in Europe."

Merz added, "Germany has been a member of the North Atlantic Alliance for 70 years. NATO has played an important role in ensuring that we have lived in freedom, peace, and prosperity in this country for three generations."

"RUSSIA'S ATTACKS ARE TERRORISM TARGETING CIVILIANS"

Stating that Russia threatens freedom, peace, and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic region, Merz said, "We take this threat very seriously, which is why we are strengthening NATO and the European pillar of NATO."

Stating that they discussed the Russia-Ukraine war in the context of last night's intense Russian attack, Friedrich Merz said, "Russia is bombing Ukrainian cities every night. Last night, we experienced the largest bombing and missile attacks since the beginning of the war. This is terrorism targeting the civilian population. This has nothing to do with a war conducted against military targets."

The German leader noted that in his meeting with NATO Secretary General Rutte, they specifically discussed how they could work together to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. Stating that Germany will continue to contribute in this regard, Chancellor Merz said, "I am in good dialogue with US President Donald Trump and all our European Union (EU) and NATO partners in Europe on this and other issues. At the same time, we want to increase the pressure on Moscow. We are working with all our might to finalize the 18th Action Package in the EU. Only one more member of the EU needs to approve it. These steps will serve to finally bring Russia to the negotiating table and pave the way for a ceasefire."

Merz stated that he welcomed Trump's recent remarks on providing more support for Ukraine's air defense systems. The German Chancellor announced that they would discuss the post-ceasefire process at the Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held tomorrow in Rome, the capital of Italy, and that he would bring forward Germany's proposals for providing more air defense systems to Kyiv.

"LASER ATTACK IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE"

German Chancellor Merz, when asked about a German reconnaissance aircraft participating in the European Union's (EU) Aspides mission in the Red Sea being targeted by a laser from a Chinese warship, replied, "A laser attack on a military surveillance aircraft is absolutely unacceptable." Merz emphasized that the attack must be clarified in all its details.

"5 PERCENT TARGET IS NECESSARY FOR SECURITY THREATS ORIGINATING FROM RUSSIA"

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described the decision by alliance member countries at the summit in The Hague, Netherlands, to spend 5 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense as a historic consensus. Stating that the foundations for NATO to be stronger and more deterrent were also laid at the summit, Rutte said, "The 5 percent defense spending target is necessary to respond to security threats we face, such as terrorism originating from Russia, cyberattacks, acts of sabotage, and global competition."

Emphasizing that Germany is the most important country in Europe supporting Ukraine, Rutte said, "The support given to the Ukrainian people is very important so that they can defend their freedom today and prevent future attacks. It is necessary to support Ukraine and provide the ammunition they need. None of us can achieve transatlantic defense alone. Cooperation makes us all stronger and safer."

Mark Rutte added that bureaucratic obstacles that pose problems between countries and companies must be removed to protect NATO territory.

Germany became a member of NATO on May 6, 1955. Various events were held at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and in Germany as part of the 70th anniversary of Germany's NATO membership.

News Source: İHA