Alliance summit - Scholz relies on Biden - Nato summit begins
The debate over US President Joe Biden's health condition persists, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands firmly by his ally's side at the NATO summit. Before the milestone meeting of state and government heads in Washington, Scholz dismissed concerns about overburdening the host. "No, I don't have that worry", the Chancellor said before departing.
Biden intended to officially open the summit for NATO's 75th anniversary with the departing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg - his first major appearance at the three-day event.
Biden has prepared the summit well and meticulously, according to many conversations with Biden, Scholz said. "Many of the decisions being made and prepared there were developed in close coordination between Germany and the US. Therefore, this summit will also be a successful one."
NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary at the three-day meeting. The alliance, which has grown to 32 member states, faces serious challenges. Above all, it needs guarantees for continuous military support for Ukraine, even if Donald Trump, the Republican challenger to Biden, wins the presidency in November.
Biden's fitness dominates headlines in the US
The 81-year-old Biden is campaigning for his presidency. He aims to return to the White House for the Democrats - even after the controversial TV debate against Trump. Even within his own party, many question Biden.
Just before the summit, Biden went on the offensive once again and confronted party colleagues with a clear letter. Biden appealed to Democrats in Congress in an unusual step during a live broadcast on US morning television.
After open questions about visits to a specialist for Parkinson's disease at the White House, Biden's doctor released a letter to alleviate concerns.
Scholz understands defense spending increases unwillingly
The coalition government of Scholz had already set a budget for 2025 before the summit. The defense budget increases by around 1.2 billion Euro instead of the 6.7 billion Euro defense minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had announced. Pistorius called this an unwelcome development on his way to Washington.
Scholz made it clear again that he sees a sufficient financing basis in the coalition budget compromise. At the same time, he looked beyond the coalition's tenure and confirmed the commitment to long-term higher defense spending.
"The Bundeswehr can assume that Germany will consistently meet its NATO quota of two percent in the coming years and therefore can effectively place orders that are important for the security of the country in the 20s and the early 30s," Scholz said. The defense budget should, according to his plans, increase from 2028 onwards, when the special fund for the Bundeswehr is exhausted, to 80 billion Euro.
Scholz: Support Ukraine as long as necessary
Scholz assured Ukraine long-term support against the Russian aggression war. "And it's good that we have reiterated this in the last few days with a clear message: We will stand by Ukraine as long as it is necessary," Scholz said and referred to weapons deliveries and the joint initiative of the major industrial countries.
The G7 countries agreed at their summit in Italy to finance a credit package worth approximately 50 billion US dollars (about 47 billion Euros) using frozen Russian state assets through interest.
Scholz said this was also a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He cannot rely on the fact that "he can more or less wait this war out and hopes that support for Ukraine will wane."
Newcomers and troublemakers at the summit
Headlines were made before the summit by NATO member Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Putin in Moscow and was sharply criticized by the EU for it. In a letter to his colleagues, he now provides insight into Putin's perspective on the war in Ukraine.
For the first time since joining NATO, Sweden is participating in a NATO summit. In the aftermath of Russia's attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Sweden and also Finland gave up their neutrality.
For NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, this will be the last regular summit before his departure. He will hand over his office on October 1 to the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.
- At the NATO summit in Washington, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his support for US President Joe Biden's health, dismissing concerns about the host's ability to handle the event.
- Biden, with Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing NATO Secretary-General, planned to officially open the summit, celebrating NATO's 75th anniversary with 32 member states.
- Scholz acknowledged that many decisions at the summit were prepared jointly by Germany and the US, implying a successful event.
- As NATO faces challenges, including ensuring military support for Ukraine, even if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November, the alliance's members gathered for the summit.
- Amidst headlines about Biden's health, the 81-year-old US President campaigned for his re-election, even after facing criticism during a controversial TV debate.
- Scholz expressed understanding for defense spending increases, despite a coalition government budget compromise that resulted in a lower increase than planned by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
- Scholz confirmed Germany's commitment to consistently meeting its NATO quota of 2% defensе spending, even beyond the coalition government's term, preparing for further budget increases in 2028.
- Scholz assured Ukraine of long-term support against Russian aggression and cited the recent agreement by the G7 countries to finance a credit package using frozen Russian state assets.
- Controversies occurred before the summit, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Putin in Moscow and Sweden, a newcomer to NATO, participated in the event for the first time since joining.
