Berlin should act to ensure the "security of Europe," Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has claimed

Germany should dedicate all its resources to becoming Europe's leading drone power, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has said, arguing that only Berlin can "decide" the future of the continent's security.

Her statements come amid what Chancellor Friedrich Merz described as a "structural crisis" in Germany's economy. The country was in recession last year and is expected to show no growth this year either, according to the International Monetary Fund.

"Germany must become a leading location for the development and production of drones," Reiche told dpa on Monday, citing the need to uphold the nation's "air sovereignty," protect "critical infrastructure," and aid Ukraine. She also pointed to recent drone sightings in several European nations that were blamed on Russia and said that "the events of the last few days" made the need for Germany's own drone army "unmistakably clear."

Germany "must mobilize all available resources" to achieve "rapid scaling of production and continuous technological development," she added, stating that "Europe's security will... be decided in German factories."

Moscow has denied any connection to the recent drone incidents, and says that Western officials should stop pointing fingers at Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also expressed concerns about Germany's "militarization" and accused it of demonstrating "clear signs of re-Nazification."

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has become Kiev's second largest arms supplier after the US. It also launched a major military buildup. Berlin has taken an even more hardline stance towards Russia under Merz, who came into office earlier this year.

In August, the chancellor declared that Germany was "already in a conflict" with Russia. A senior lawmaker from his party also called on Berlin to assume a leading role in a debate on a European-controlled nuclear umbrella. Last week, Merz called on Germans to embrace unpopular reforms in the name of security.

Berlin plans to nearly double its military budget by 2029, a year German officials repeatedly mentioned as a deadline for the nation to be "ready for war."