🕒 Created

Mark Rutte and Johann Wadephul discuss German leadership in NATO security and the need for accelerated defense manufacturing

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met in Berlin to discuss Germany's leadership in the transformation of the Alliance. Mr. Rutte stated that European allies are taking greater responsibility for their own security, noting that security is not something the U.S. should do for Europe, but rather something they should do with Europe. Mr. Rutte highlighted Germany's contributions to Allied security, including a new armored brigade in Lithuania and the First German-Netherlands Corps. He also commended Germany's defense industry for producing more for the Alliance. Mr. Wadephul emphasized that NATO allies must accelerate defense manufacturing to maintain credible deterrence against Russia. He noted that an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport last month demonstrated the seriousness of the threat from Moscow. Mr. Wadephul stated that Germany will continue to provide strong military support to Ukraine, specifically focusing on air defense and interceptor missiles. Separately, the administration announced that Ukraine could produce Patriot interceptor missiles, a move that could help Ukraine and ease the burden on manufacturers.

Sources


Paywall and unreadable sources