BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday accused Russia of deliberate attempts to destabilize Europe, most recently by drone incursions into NATO allies Poland and Romania.

"Russian President Putin has long been testing boundaries. He sabotages, spies, murders, and deliberately sows uncertainty," Merz said during a budget debate in parliament. "Russia aims to destabilize our societies, but we will prevent this from happening, both externally and internally," he added.

Responding to criticism from opposition parties on Ukraine policy, Merz said his government is supporting efforts to end the war but will not support a "dictated peace" at the expense of Ukraine’s will.

“Ending it at the expense of Ukraine's political sovereignty and territorial integrity is out of the question,” the conservative leader stressed. “A capitulation would only encourage Putin to seek his next target. We have seen how concrete this can become with the violation of Polish and Romanian airspace in recent days,” he said.

Merz noted that Germany and its European allies will strengthen their defense capabilities to deter further Russian aggression.