The Chancellor of Germany vowed to build the strongest military in Europe

(Berlin) German Chancellor Metz has vowed to build Europe's most powerful conventional army to deal with the threat posed by Russia to Europe.

When Mertz delivered his first major speech since taking office to the Federal Parliament on Wednesday (May 14), he promised to provide all necessary financial support for the long-underfunded defense forces. This is the responsibility that the most populous and economically powerful country in Europe should fulfill.

Due to the dark history of World War II, Germany has long been reluctant to invest heavily in military affairs. After the Cold War, European countries relied on the United States, a NATO ally, to maintain security, and Germany's military investment also dropped sharply. But US President Trump's demand that Germany and other Allies increase their joint defense spending has led Europe to question Washington's security commitment to NATO.

During a period of highly tense geopolitics, Mertz promised that Berlin would play a greater diplomatic and security role in Europe. He warned: "Anyone who truly believes that Russia will be content with defeating Ukraine or annexing parts of Ukraine is wrong."

A fiscal plan passed by the previous German parliament paved the way for the Merz government to propose additional grants of hundreds of billions of euros for defense and infrastructure.

Mertz said that strengthening the German armed forces was his top priority. The German government will provide all the necessary financial resources for the Bundeswehr to become the most powerful conventional army in Europe.

He said that in order to increase its military forces, Germany will establish a new and attractive voluntary military service to encourage young people to take on the responsibility of defending the country.

He said, "Strength can contain invaders, while weakness invites aggression."

He also emphasized that he would continue to support Ukraine, but also stated, "We are not on the side of the war, and we do not want to be on the side of the war." Our goal is to build a united and powerful Germany and Europe, so strong that we never need to use our weapons. To achieve this goal, we must assume more responsibilities within NATO and the European Union.

To address security challenges, Germany and the United Kingdom have strengthened defense cooperation. The British government announced on Thursday that the two countries will jointly develop a new "deep precision strike" weapon with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers. However, the British government statement did not provide more details about the project schedule or budget.