Germany mulls buying missile defense system to defend against Russia

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday the country is considering purchasing a missile defense system to defend itself from a possible Russian airstrike, Reuters reported. 

Scholz told German media outlet ARD on Sunday about the potential purchase of a defense system similar to Israeli’s Iron Dome. 

“This is certainly one of the issues we are discussing, and for good reason,” Scholz told ARD. 

“We need to be aware that we have a neighbor who is prepared to use violence to enforce their interests.”  

German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported that Scholz met with his chief of defense to discuss a wide range of topics, including a missile defense shield.

German parliament member Andreas Schwarz told the newspaper that a missile defense system would make sense for the country, Reuters reported. 

“We must protect ourselves better against the threat from Russia. For this, we need a Germany-wide missile defense shield quickly,” Schwarz said in a statement. 

In a previous speech, Scholz said Germany plans to increase its spending on its defense to more than two percent of its economic output; adding 100 billion euros to its defense budget.