epa13077395 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hold a press conference following a weekly cabinet meeting of the German government at the Defence Ministry in Berlin, Germany, 01 July 2026. Rutte travelled to Berlin to attend the meeting of the Federal Cabinet. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

epa13077394 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hold a press conference following a weekly cabinet meeting of the German government at the Defence Ministry in Berlin, Germany, 01 July 2026. Rutte travelled to Berlin to attend the meeting of the Federal Cabinet. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

epa13077393 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attend a press conference following a weekly cabinet meeting of the German government at the Defence Ministry in Berlin, Germany, 01 July 2026. Rutte travelled to Berlin to attend the meeting of the Federal Cabinet. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE