MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2020) Europe will continue in the foreseeable future to rely on Washington for providing nuclear and conventional deterrence, otherwise it has to increase its military budget drastically, Thomas Silberhorn, a senior member of the German Defense Ministry, said on Tuesday at an online conference organized by the "Friends of Europe" think tank.
"Europe will remain in the foreseeable future dependent on nuclear and conventional capabilities provided by the United States, otherwise we would have to discuss on a totally different basis which contributions towards defense budget are necessary," Silberhorn said.
When asked what was needed to substitute the US military engagement in Europe, the German official pointed to a dramatic defense budget increase.
"We would have to talk not only about 2 percent of our GDP but about much, much more. I think we should stay realistic as it makes sense to have a joint nuclear umbrella," he said.
Military spending among the NATO European member states and Canada has been on an increase for the sixth consecutive year in 2020 as one-third of member states reached a 2 percent alliance benchmark, according to a NATO report released in October. Germany, however, continues to spend only 1.57 percent of gross domestic product on its military, the report said.
