France will increase its military spending by an additional €6.5 billion over the next two years amid rising global threats. French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement on Sunday.
Speaking in his traditional Bastille Day address to military leaders at the Hotel de Brienne in Paris, Macron said France aims to reach an annual defence budget of €64 billion by 2027 — double the €32 billion spent annually in 2017 when he first took office.
Calling the increase a “new and historic effort,” Macron said it is “proportionate, credible and essential” to meet today’s security challenges.
The president urged intensified efforts to protect Europe, citing threats including Russia’s war in Ukraine, terrorism, online attacks, and misinformation campaigns targeting young people.
“Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously,” Macron said. “To be free in this world we must be feared. To be feared we must be powerful.”
Despite efforts to reduce public debt, Macron insisted France can find the resources to boost defence spending. The plan has support from conservative and far-right parties, while some on the left criticise it for risking social welfare gains.
Macron also ordered France’s military and defence officials to begin a “strategic dialogue” with European partners on the role of France’s nuclear arsenal in Europe’s security. France recently agreed with Britain to strengthen cooperation on nuclear issues amid growing Russian threats.
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Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire to end the four-month-old war.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 30 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian attacks on three major Ukrainian cities killed 10 people and wounded dozens on Monday, authorities said, with strikes continuing into the afternoon as the death toll climbed.
Fourteen people were killed on Sunday after a helicopter belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco crashed in Ras Tanura, according to Saudi state media.
Rescue teams raced on Sunday to find more survivors of the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week, with signs of life bringing occasional relief to a grim quest to whittle down a list of tens of thousands missing.
The United States and Iran have agreed to halt strikes against each other, in a potential breakthrough after weeks of escalating tensions. The two sides are expected to meet in Doha on Tuesday to address their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the country is going through a “difficult period”, but has learned much from it, according to state news agency TASS.
The U.S. and Iran have agreed to 'stand down' and resume technical talks, allowing vessels allowed to move freely under the interim peace deal, a U.S. official said.
NATO is adjusting to a shifting global security environment and the United States is not seeking to leave the alliance, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler told Reuters ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Ankara.
Overcrowding in Swiss prisons is leading to deteriorating detention conditions and infringing inmates’ fundamental rights, Switzerland’s National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NCPT) has warned in its latest annual report.
Workers stayed home, buses remained idle and many businesses closed across South Africa on Tuesday (30 June) as the country braced for planned anti-immigrant marches, with fears they could turn violent.
Days after Beijing imposed fresh restrictions on 56 U.S. companies, China's Ministry of Commerce said it remained committed to pursuing tariff cuts and mutually beneficial cooperation with Washington.
Keiko Fujimori has emerged ahead in Peru's presidential run-off after electoral authorities completed the final vote count, bringing weeks of uncertainty closer to an end.
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