German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz reached an agreement with the Greens on Friday on a massive increase in state borrowing just days ahead of a parliamentary vote next week.

An agreement has been reached on plans by German chancellor hopeful Friedrich Merz to massively ramp up public borrowing, a source from the Greens party said on Friday, adding: "We are satisfied." Greens' support is seen as crucial to Merz's bid to pass the debt plan with a two-thirds majority in Germany's outgoing parliament.

The debate over the deal cast defense spending as an issue of growing urgency as doubts increase about the U.S. commitment to European allies. Long-term strains on Germany's debt limits, combined with the recent shift in U.