Berlin urges Paris to boost defense spending by cutting other costs

(Nette Nöstlinger – Politico) Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said France needs to spend more on defense even if it means cutting other kinds of spending. Wadephul’s comments are likely to fuel ongoing tensions between Berlin and Paris at a time when Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron have openly clashed on everything from trade to common borrowing. German officials have increasingly criticized Macron for speaking passionately about the need for Europe to achieve strategic autonomy from the U.S., while not, in their view, delivering on that rhetoric by increasing defense spending aggressively enough. – Berlin urges Paris to boost defense spending by cutting other costs – POLITICO