German Chancellor Olaf Scholz again defended the US decision to supply controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine, but at the same time stressed the importance of an international treaty banning this type of weapon.
The US government had "made a decision that is not ours, but which it made sovereignly," Scholz said. The chancellor pointed out that otherwise the US may not be able to provide sufficient ammunition to Ukraine, which is battling against a Russian invasion.
But Scholz said the international Convention on Cluster Munitions, which Germany signed, is "of great importance" and that he has great concerns about the potential impact of unexploded cluster bombs on civilians long after the war is over.
Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, alerts about unexploded bombs remain relatively frequent in Germany, Scholz noted.
"And that is why it is a very justified concern that we are pursuing with this convention. And I also feel committed to it," said Scholz.
Neither the US, Ukraine nor Russia have signed the convention, which seeks to outlaw cluster munitions. The weapons are bombs that burst over a target, scattering large numbers of smaller explosives. A large portion fail to detonate but remain a threat for years into the future.
Scholz, meanwhile, offered his assurances that Germany intends to spend more on defence, with long-term plans to fund the military at 2% of gross domestic product (GDP).
"We have decided that we want to spend this 2% on defence for the Bundeswehr," Scholz said, referring to Germany's military. "Next year we will achieve that for the first time from budget funds and the special fund."
Germany created a €100 billion ($112 billion) special defence fund shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine to address urgent shortcomings in its military. NATO guidelines call on members of the alliance to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence, a goal that Germany has not met since the end of the Cold War.
Scholz, speaking at his traditional summer press conference in Berlin on Friday, pledged to maintain higher defence spending into the future: "And I repeat here what I have said on many occasions: This will remain the case even when the special assets have been used up."
NATO members reiterated their 2% commitment at the alliance's summit in Lithuania earlier this week. Defence spending has been a point of contention within NATO for years, with the US in particular urging Germany and other wealthy European countries to spend more on their military.
