German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his country would need to strengthen his armed forces by 60,000 soldiers, as NATO Member States are committed to raising defense spending to prevent Russia’s military threat.

Pistorius pointed out that Germany would take over the second largest financial burden among the 32 states of the North Atlantic Pact, as the allies agree on a re -equipment plan. US Secretary of Defense Pitt Hegschez has confirmed the US position that allies should spend 5% of GDP on their army, from today’s 2%, which some members have not yet covered.

Berlin’s commitment to defense expenditure

The German minister praised Berlin’s new commitment to defense spending after removing debt restrictions on military investment, saying that Europe’s largest economy will do the “heavy job” that includes the establishment of new military units and securing their full equipment. Germany currently has about 182,000 active soldiers, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

“The time we have been protesting for the lack of budget of previous decades has passed,” Pistorius said on Thursday in Brussels during a meeting of NATO counterparts. “Today is the start signal, we cover the lost ground. We started and accelerated, and it is urgent given the situation of threats, “he noted.

NATO ministers are planning to sign one of the most ambitious commitments to increase the ammunition reserve since the Cold War. On June 24 and 25 in The Hague, alliance leaders will finalize the new 5% reference – requested by President Donald Trump.

The US Secretary of Defense later told reporters that NATO allies were “almost close to consensus” on the 5% target for expenditure.

The list of weapons and military requirements that countries must fulfill – the so -called potential goals – will not be made public, but the supply includes a plan to fivefold the possibilities of terrestrial air defense, filling a crucial gap.