OREANDA-NEWS. The EU isn't able to ensure its own security without NATO, in the interests of Germany - the preservation of the alliance. This was announced on Wednesday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in the Bundestag.

“Preserving NATO is in our original interest”, she said. “Europe at present cannot protect itself alone”, Merkel stated. In this regard, in her opinion, it's correct that the German authorities work for the good of the alliance and assume more responsibility within NATO. The Chancellor emphasized that Berlin should take care of maintaining the unity of the alliance. "Yes, Turkey is a difficult partner, but it needs to be retained in NATO only for geostrategic reasons", Merkel said.

The Chancellor confirmed the intention of the authorities of Germany to increase defense spending. She expects an increase in the defense budget to 1.5% of GDP by 2024 and up to 2% in the early 2030s. It was previously reported that the United States does not agree with the thesis of French President Emmanuel Macron on the "brain death" of the North Atlantic Alliance.