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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the World Security Conference in Munich on Saturday that no matter who wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election or what happens with the war in Ukraine, Europe needs to strengthen its ability to defend itself. He said there is.
The annual three-day global gathering of politicians, diplomats and military personnel comes amid growing concerns in Europe about the U.S. commitment to help Ukraine fend off a full-scale Russian invasion and defend its allies more broadly. ,Will be held.
Former US President Donald Trump has said that if he is re-elected later this year, he will not defend allies in the NATO Western defense alliance that do not spend enough on defense.
Congressional Republicans, who support President Trump, have also blocked aid to Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
“We Europeans must be more concerned about the security of our countries, now and in the future,” Scholz said on the second day of what has been dubbed the “Davos of national defense.”
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Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has raised defense spending to 2% of output and will continue to meet the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Western defense alliance, Scholz said.
The country also said it was consulting with allies France and the United Kingdom to develop precision weapons capable of long-range strikes to ensure its deterrence strategy remained at the cutting edge.
Still, Scholz said, “Any relativization of NATO’s defense provisions will only serve those who want to weaken us, like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” and said that Trump’s comments I rebelled. Transatlantic ties remain strong, he said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris sought to reassure Europe on Friday’s first day of talks, which were shaken by news that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had died in an Arctic prison.
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Harris said her and President Joe Biden’s “sacred commitment to NATO remains ironclad” and that her administration will continue to seek help to ensure Ukraine has the weapons and resources it needs.
“Our commitment to building and sustaining alliances has helped America become the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world,” she said. “It would be foolish to risk all that.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg were among the officials scheduled to speak on a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference later Saturday. contained within.
The evening’s focus will be on the Middle East and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, with speeches from Jordan’s King Abdullah and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as well as a panel discussion with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
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