German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that further discussions are needed with France regarding the "Future Combat Air System" class fighters, which the two countries are currently developing together with Spain, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
“The differences in views on how the consortium is structured have not yet been resolved. But I am convinced that we will succeed“, said Merz during his meeting in Berlin yesterday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He added that there is still no “fully satisfactory” result, but also that new negotiations with the French government are being prepared.
The “Future Combat Air System“ is expected to enter service by 2030 and replace the current “Eurofighter“ fighters. The new aircraft must operate in conjunction with armed and unarmed drones, which will make them more than just fighters.
“I absolutely want to respect the agreements reached with France and Spain. This could become a good project for European defense. We need such an aircraft,” Merz added.
Public procurement must meet the requirements for implementing joint defense projects in a less complex way and in large quantities.
“If we achieve this, then this project will still be worth the political commitment,” Merz said.
Merz confirmed Germany’s determination to take a leading role in European defense against the threat from Russia.
Speaking at a ceremony in Berlin to mark the 70th anniversary of the Federal Republic's accession to NATO, he highlighted the significant increase in defense spending, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
“With these resources in the coming years, we will do everything to make the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army in the European Union, as befits a country of our size and economic power and as our allies rightly expect of us“, Merz said. He added that the country would take a leading role in strengthening NATO's European flank in the coming years. This also applies to support for Ukraine.
“The path to a just peace is through strength, not through weakness or even capitulation to aggression“, Merz stressed.“
For his part, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany's Nazi past and the devastation of World War II had made many Germans lose faith in military means, but added that standing idly by was no longer an option.
“For our union to remain successful, we Europeans must take more responsibility. Germany will take the lead“, he added.
The Defense Minister also thanked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who arrived in Berlin for the anniversary, for the successful summit last month, which confirmed that “an attack on one is an attack on all“.