Europe increases military budgets; Germany plans big rise

Germany's Foreign Minister announced a plan to increase defense spending to 5% of its GDP, aligning with a request from former US President Trump. This shift marks a significant change in German security policy. The proposed increase, announced at a NATO meeting in Turkey, would allocate 3.5% of GDP to military spending and 1.5% to defense-related infrastructure. This follows Chancellor Merz's earlier statement about building the strongest conventional army in Europe. Other European nations, like Poland, are also significantly boosting military budgets. This comes amidst broader discussions about European defense capabilities and the upcoming NATO summit in the Netherlands.