Berlin has repeatedly accused Moscow of conducting "hybrid" warfare -- a largely unconventional warfare that can involve sabotage, disinformation campaigns and other disruptive attacks.

"The meeting focused on the adoption of an interdepartmental action plan to counter hybrid threats," Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement.

The plan includes measures in the areas of espionage and critical infrastructure protection, Kornelius said.

"This is the government's response to the growing number and intensity of hybrid threats against Germany, particularly from Russia," he said.

Examples include several drone sightings at airports and sensitive military sites in Germany in recent months, with leaders pointing the finger at Moscow.

The meeting also discussed "strategic dependencies on critical raw materials" as well as "views on current security policy issues", Kornelius said.

"The government will develop an action plan by the end of the year to diversify and strengthen the resilience of raw material supplies," he added.

Merz first put forward the idea of a National Security Council in early 2025, in the run-up to Germany's national election in February.

The body includes representatives of several different ministries as well as experts from security services, think tanks and the private sector.

It will be tasked with analysing the global security situation and developing Germany's responses.

Merz has previously said it will be a "central platform for the government for overarching issues of national security".