The agreement between centrist parties, led by the likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, was billed as a response to America’s shrinking security guarantees.

Germany’s Greens are prepared to reach an agreement as soon as this week that would pave the way for hundreds of billions of euros in defense and infrastructure spending with the country’s prospective next chancellor,

Germany's Greens are open to talks on a massive defence and infrastructure spending package, but are awaiting a negotiating offer from the political parties that put forward the proposal, Green leader Felix Banaszak said on Tuesday.

Germany's Green Party, which is currently opposing plans to relax the country's debt rules and spend hundreds of billions on defence and infrastructure, is seeking to increase the pressure on its negotiating partners with its own proposal.

The Bundestag session Thursday amounts to a debate, with the final vote set for Tuesday. The main question looming over it is whether Merz, the likely next chancellor, and the Social Democrats can win over the Greens to secure a required two-thirds majority. The debate offered little reassurance.

A massive plan to loosen Germany's debt rules and spend hundreds of billions on defence and infrastructure has run into potentially decisive opposition from the Greens, whose votes in parliament would be essential for the legislation to be approved.