Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on France to increase its defence spending to make European self-sufficiency a reality. Speaking to the German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, Wadephul said President Emmanuel Macron's repeated calls for European sovereignty must be matched by concrete actions in France's own military budget.
European leaders are under growing pressure to enhance defence capabilities amid doubts over whether the United States would intervene militarily if NATO allies were attacked. Germany has exempted most defence expenditures from its constitutional debt limits, allocating over €500 billion for 2025-2029, while Wadephul said France's efforts so far remain insufficient to meet NATO's target of 5% of GDP by 2035.
The call comes amid tensions in the Franco-German alliance, including disagreements over pooled debt, a next-generation European fighter jet, and EU trade deals with South America. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned last week that Europe cannot rely solely on the United States and stressed the need to repair transatlantic trust while strengthening NATO.
On nuclear defence, German officials said the country will continue to rely on NATO's deterrence system and is cautious about pursuing independent atomic capabilities. Talks with France over joining its nuclear umbrella are ongoing, but Germany's leaders emphasize that any European contributions should complement, not replace, US nuclear guarantees...