How Germany’s defence boost gives it new importance

德国国防预算增加赋予其新的重要性

World in 10

新闻

2025-06-06

10 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Germany's new chancellor Friedrich Merz thinks his meeting with Donald Trump was a success - despite being one of the president’s more vocal European critics in Europe. It helps that Merz has heeded US calls for more European defence spending. The Times' Berlin correspondent Oliver Moody examines how he won Trump over - and how more military spending gives Germany new importance on the international stage. The World in 10 is the Times' daily podcast dedicated to global security. Expert analysis of war, diplomatic relations and cyber security from The Times' foreign correspondents and military specialists.  Watch more: www.youtube.com/@ListenToTimesRadio  Read more: www.thetimes.com  Picture: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • From the world wars to Trump's trade wars,

  • the drama of Washington DC to the twists and butans of Westminster,

  • the times and Sunday times are on the ground,

  • taking you to the heart of the story,

  • restlessly reporting the facts to bring you the first draft of history for 240 years.

  • Times change.

  • The times remains.

  • Welcome to the world in 10.

  • In an increasingly uncertain world,

  • this is The Times's daily podcast dedicated to global security.

  • Today with me, Tom Noonan and Sinead Garvan.

  • Germany's new Chancellor Frederick Mertz has come away from his meeting with Donald Trump,

  • saying he's reassured and extremely satisfied.

  • He says he's got absolutely no doubt Trump will stick with NATO.

  • It was seemingly a successful meeting for a man who's previously warned about the potentially dire consequences of Trump's policy towards Europe.

  • It probably helped that Germany has heeded Trump's calls on military spending.

  • Merz has pushed through a constitutional change,

  • allowing him to borrow much more money for defence,

  • which is, of course, particularly significant given Germany's economic might.

  • So was Thursday's meeting a sign that Germany's boost to defence spending is giving it new importance and a new role on the international stage?