Olaf Scholz pledges $107bn for German army, says it will be 'largest' among NATO nations

Amid the ongoing brutal war in Eastern Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed that the country will soon have the largest conventional army among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in Europe. Speaking to the German media, he said that a planned special package of 100 billion euros ($107bn) for the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces, is expected to strengthen the country and its allies significantly. After weeks of discussion, the German Parliament agreed on the legislative framework for the special fund on May 29. In principle, this clears the way for large-scale weapon orders from the armaments industry.

According to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the agreement between the government and the Union on an amendment to the Basic Law for the 100 billion euro Bundeswehr special fund is a good move. "We have now put together an overall package where we can quickly fulfil our obligations in NATO. We have to get the Bundeswehr fit enough to be able to defend our eastern NATO partners," she stated, as per the German news outlet, Spiegel Politics.

Germany's left-wing faction vows to oppose special fund for Bundeswehr

Meanwhile, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht firmly expects the Bundeswehr special fund to be enshrined in the Basic Law before the summer recess of the Bundestag, the German Parliament. "That can happen very quickly now because the essential points have been agreed upon. We are working together to ensure that the Bundeswehr is finally equipped as necessary so that we can guarantee national and alliance defence," she added. Meanwhile, the left-wing faction has warned that it will oppose the special fund agreed by the government and the Union in the Bundestag. 

German Chancellor vows to provide more weapons to Ukraine amid war

Notably, the German Chancellor expressed bemusement at the criticism over the lack of military support for Ukraine. "We have delivered weapons to Ukraine and will deliver more in the coming days," Scholz remarked. Meanwhile, the German Chancellor also cautioned that Europe and the international community are at a crossroads, claiming that "the world has changed since the onset of the war in Ukraine." 

(Image: AP)