https://sputnikglobe.com/20250619/germanys-5-of-gdp-defense-spending-goal-to-be-war-ready-will-ruin-economy---expert-1122291473.html
Germany's 5% of GDP Defense Spending Goal to Be 'War-Ready' Will Ruin Economy - Expert
Germany's 5% of GDP Defense Spending Goal to Be 'War-Ready' Will Ruin Economy - Expert
Sputnik International
Germany would "ruin" its economy by agreeing to a blitzing raise in its defense spending, particularly the NATO-proposed target of 3.5% to 5% of GDP, Ralf Dickel, an independent German energy expert specializing in international energy trade, told Sputnik on Thursday.
2025-06-19T15:17+0000
2025-06-19T15:17+0000
2025-06-19T15:17+0000
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In early May, media reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had proposed that NATO states increase their defense spending to 3.5% of GDP and allocate another 1.5% of GDP to additional defense needs to meet US President Donald Trump's demand for a 5% target. The minimum requirements are expected to be agreed upon at the NATO summit in The Hague from June 24-25. "First of all, again, this 3.5 percent, 5 percent is completely ridiculous. We will ruin our economy for nothing," Dickel said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The expert expressed his concern over the prevailing mindset in the West where the emphasis on military readiness is seen as a solution to global tensions. He argued that true defense should not be measured solely by the percentage of GDP allocated to military spending but should be informed by a careful analysis of potential threats. "I mean, first of all, it's fair to be able to defend yourself, but that is something you would not usually link to a scale of your GDP, but you would rather analyze what is a scale of potential military actions against your country, and then you should be sure to meet them. But in parallel to that, we should also make an offer to negotiate. And to negotiate eventually some new architecture, some new security architecture," he stated. The expert concluded by stressing that sustainable security for any state could not solely be achieved through military means but must also involve dialogue and cooperation. The Russian city of St. Petersburg is hosting the 28th edition of SPIEF from June 18-21 under the theme of "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World." The Rossiya Segodnya international media group, Sputnik's parent company, is the forum's information partner.
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nato-proposed target, ruin economy, defense spending, blitzing raise
nato-proposed target, ruin economy, defense spending, blitzing raise
Germany's 5% of GDP Defense Spending Goal to Be 'War-Ready' Will Ruin Economy - Expert
ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Germany would "ruin" its economy by agreeing to a blitzing raise in its defense spending, particularly the NATO-proposed target of 3.5% to 5% of GDP, Ralf Dickel, an independent German energy expert specializing in international energy trade, told Sputnik on Thursday.
In early May, media reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had proposed that NATO states increase their defense spending to 3.5% of GDP and allocate another 1.5% of GDP to additional defense needs to meet US President Donald Trump's demand for a 5% target. The minimum requirements are expected to be agreed upon at the NATO summit in The Hague from June 24-25.
"First of all, again, this 3.5 percent, 5 percent is completely ridiculous. We will ruin our economy for nothing," Dickel said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The expert expressed his concern over the prevailing mindset in the West where the emphasis on military readiness is seen as a solution to global tensions.
"What worries me is that in the West, we have a lot of people who say, ‘okay, this must spend much more on defense,' on being war-ready, actually. Not on defense, but war-ready. That is very stupid on several accounts," Dickel said.
He argued that true defense should not be measured solely by the percentage of GDP allocated to military spending but should be informed by a careful analysis of potential threats.
"I mean, first of all, it's fair to be able to defend yourself, but that is something you would not usually link to a scale of your GDP, but you would rather analyze what is a scale of potential military actions against your country, and then you should be sure to meet them. But in parallel to that, we should also make an offer to negotiate. And to negotiate eventually some new architecture, some new security architecture," he stated.
The expert concluded by stressing that sustainable security for any state could not solely be achieved through military means but must also involve dialogue and cooperation.
The Russian city of
St. Petersburg is hosting the 28th edition of SPIEF from June 18-21 under the theme of "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World." The Rossiya Segodnya international media group, Sputnik's parent company, is the forum's information partner.
