The President of France called on European countries to invest more in defense and promised to increase the republic’s spending in this area.
European countries should invest more in defense in order to be ready for a possible military conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech where he presented his election program, BFM TV reports.
“We must increase investment [в армию]to prepare for a high-intensity war that could take place on our continent,” Macron said.
The politician promised that defense spending under his presidency will reach €50 billion a year by 2025. The French defense budget for 2022 was €40 billion. “We must continue to increase flexibility and adaptability in the face of new types of threats: space, cyber, civil conflicts,” he explained (quote by Les Echos).
France’s intention to increase military spending to €50 billion by 2025 was reported back in 2018. The France 24 TV channel explained that this measure would allow to achieve the desired indicators of deductions to NATO: this was requested by the then US President Donald Trump.
Macron did not see the possibility of an early diplomatic solution on Ukraine