Merz appeals in Ankara for strong NATO

Ankara (dpa, d.de) – At the start of the NATO summit in Ankara, Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has appealed for the alliance to adopt a united stance . Before the talks began, Merz said he hoped “that together we will succeed in awakening a spirit of Ankara”. He said that the summit’s message should be: “We are building a more European NATO so that NATO can remain transatlantic.” He added that Germany had doubled its defence spending since Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine and would be increasing it to 124 billion euros in 2026. Russia remained a “serious threat” to Europe’s security, he stressed.

One focus of the talks will be on further support for Ukraine. According to Merz, the European NATO allies and Canada are planning to commit at least 70 billion euros in military aid per year in 2026 and 2027. In addition, the alliance partners are discussing closer cooperation in the defence industry and on the joint procurement of military hardware.

Modernising NATO’s fleet of AWACS aircraft is among the first concrete projects. AWACS stands for “Airborne Warning and Control System”. These aircraft serve as flying radar stations: they monitor airspace, the seas and in some cases also the land, ensuring the early detection of aircraft, drones or missiles and coordinating military operations. The aircraft that have been deployed to date, which are around 40 years old, are to be replaced by up to ten aircraft built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier - these are equipped with the GlobalEye surveillance and early warning system made by the Swedish company Saab.

During the two-day summit, the heads of state and government of NATO’s 32 member states are discussing further support for Ukraine, expanding the alliance’s defence capabilities and a stronger European role within NATO.