German CDU Leader Friedrich Merz to Speak with Putin Only Under Certain Conditions
In an exclusive interview, the CDU’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, stated that he would only engage in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin if there was a chance to move closer to a peace solution. Merz criticized the current German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz (SPD), for his previous phone call with Putin, saying that the Russian president’s response was an escalation of the bombardments on Kiev.
Merz emphasized that the core task of NATO remains deterrence and that the alliance needs to improve its efficiency. He suggested simplifying and streamlining its military systems, which he believes are too complex and expensive. Merz also proposed the creation of more uniform systems in Europe, citing the example of the United States having only two types of main battle tanks, in contrast to the 17 different types in use across Europe.
However, Merz believes that increasing the financial resources for defense is a necessary step towards achieving these goals. He did not specify a specific percentage of the budget he would allocate to defense, but stated that the current NATO target of 2% of GDP needs to be reached, with Germany still lagging behind by €30-40 billion per year. Merz also hinted that the target may need to be raised in the future.