The source added that if approved by the German Parliament (Bundestag), this increase would raise Germany's defense spending to 2.1% of GDP, far exceeding the 2% level committed by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Photo: Reuters
Bloomberg News first reported the news on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry said the Bundestag committee had not concluded talks and declined to comment further.
Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper also reported that the commission would approve an additional €4 billion. "Doubling military spending is both the right thing to do and the important thing," said Andreas Schwarz, a lawmaker who serves as the Social Democratic Party's (SPD) military budget official.
“With this move, we will underline our promise to Ukraine for the necessary funds. The fact that we can also fulfill our obligations to NATO is a great success for... the alliance,” he said.
Diplomats also said this week that a European Union plan to spend up to 20 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine is facing opposition from some members.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, Bloomberg)
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