Merz says Russia is building submarines to destroy cables
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Russia, an aggressor state, is building a new class of submarines designed to destroy undersea cables, pipelines and other infrastructure. He made the statement after an EU summit on Arctic security policy held in Finland with the participation of Nordic countries.
Anadolu Agency reports on the chancellor's remarks. According to Merz, the information he heard at the meeting in Finland did not reduce his concerns about security. He described the threat to all undersea infrastructure as significant.
Defense spending
Merz also said that Europeans will have to confront threats to their freedom for a long time, including risks that, according to him, Russia creates. The chancellor defended the German government's decision to increase defense spending to a record level, emphasizing the seriousness of the threat.
He noted that substantial funds for defense could be directed to other needs if the world were peaceful. At the same time, Merz said that the current situation provides no grounds for abandoning such spending.
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European technologies
The chancellor stressed the need to develop Europe's own technological capabilities in security and defense. He mentioned the German company Isar Aerospace: its Spectrum rocket, according to Merz, launched from Norway at the beginning of the month and placed European-made satellites into orbit.
Merz said that Europe needs alternatives to American navigation and satellite systems. According to him, a geostationary satellite system is currently being created that is intended to make Europe less dependent on GPS and Elon Musk's systems.
In addition, the chancellor said that during one of his flights to Northern Europe, the navigation system on his plane failed because of Russian jamming, as he claims. Merz did not specify when this incident occurred.
