The agreement between centrist parties, led by the likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, was billed as a response to America’s shrinking security guarantees.

The debate over the deal cast defense spending as an issue of growing urgency as doubts increase about the U.S. commitment to European allies. Long-term strains on Germany's debt limits, combined with the recent shift in U.S. security policy under President Donald Trump, pushed the negotiations into a deal that now goes before the parliament.

The agreement reached with the Greens would allow Germany to spend up to €1 trillion on defence and infrastructure over the next decade. View on euronews