Germany is ready to provide the core of a new EU rapid reaction force in 2025, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said before discussing the EU security strategy with her colleagues, which is expected to be agreed this week, Reuters reported.

"I will offer that Germany can provide the military core ... for the year 2025," she told reporters as she arrived in Brussels for a meeting of EU defense and foreign ministers.

EU leaders are expected to sign the bloc's new security strategy, the so-called "Strategic Compass," at a summit Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

As part of it, the EU seeks to create a rapid-reaction force of up to 5,000 troops, upgrading existing EU battlegroups that the bloc has had since 2007 but never used.

The plan gained support after European countries struggled to cope with the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Kabul in August.

Germany has approved arms shipments to Ukraine and announced a sharp increase in defense spending, marking a major shift in Berlin's foreign and security policy.