A Russian military aircraft flew over a German frigate in the Baltic Sea, which ranks with the violation of the airspace of Poland and Estonia. This was stated in the Bundestag at the budget debate by the head of the German Defense Ministry, Boris Pistorius.
Pistorius did not specify when this incident happened, the DW* main telegram channel writes.
Russia is "literally checking" the borders of NATO states with increasing frequency and intensity, Pistorius said.
"Putin wants to provoke NATO member countries, and he wants to identify, uncover and exploit alleged weaknesses in the alliance," the German minister claims.
According to him, taking into account the existing threat, Europe needs to take on more responsibility for its own defense, and NATO should become more European. He noted that the number of Bundeswehr needs to be increased to 460 thousand troops. If this cannot be done on a voluntary basis, then with the consent of parliament, compulsory military service can be introduced in the country, Pistorius said.
In 2026, the defense budget of Germany should grow to 108.2 billion euros — this will be a new record since the end of the Cold War, Reuters reports.
@dwglavnoe
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