(L-R) German Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Baer, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, German Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche and Chief of Staff and Minister for Special Tasks Thorsten Frei pose for a group photo prior to a weekly meeting of the German cabinet at the Defence Ministry in Berlin, Germany, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)