BERLIN, May 7. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during his first foreign visit in office that all EU member states should increase defense spending.

"Today, Europe is once again facing major challenges. First and foremost, it needs to be more secure," Merz said at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. "We can only meet these challenges if France and Germany work together even more closely than in the past, finding compromises and making progress together with our European friends and neighbors. That is why Macron and I have agreed on a new Franco-German start for Europe," the German chancellor stated.

He emphasized that Berlin and Paris will take joint measures to further strengthen Europe's security and defense capabilities and to further strengthen the European pillar in NATO. "This includes bilateral arms cooperation, which we will deepen and accelerate, as well as cooperation with our European partners. To achieve this, we need to further increase defense spending in all [EU] member states. Only in this way will we be able to gradually close the gaps in our military capabilities and continue to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine," Merz pointed out.

He also emphasized that US President Donald Trump can count on the support of Germany and France in the diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented an 800-billion-euro rearmament plan for the EU, under which EU countries would borrow up to 150 billion euros for defense. The European Commission wants to borrow this money on the capital markets and then transfer it to the states in the form of loans on the condition that they jointly purchase arms in Europe. According to Brussels' plans, part of these funds could be used to produce weapons for Ukraine. At the same time, several countries, including France and Italy, are already under financial supervision for exceeding the deficit limit.