Podcast "Ukraine - the situation" - Military expert Mölling: Russia wants to wear down Nato
According to security expert Christian Mölling, the Russian leadership is looking for ways to shake the cohesion of NATO. Mölling said on Tuesday in the 177th edition of the stern podcast"Ukraine - the situation": "If there is an opportunity to attack Nato politically rather than militarily, then it will be used." The aim is to divide the Western alliance and create zones of differing security within the alliance.
"It's not always about a shooting war," explains the Research Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. It's about "gradually changing the balance and gaining more power". Ultimately, Russia is striving for control over its "geopolitical apron". However, this does not mean that it wants to occupy large parts of NATO territory.
Russia on Ukraine - and wants to weaken Nato
"Military power can only be created through political unity," says Mölling. This is precisely the reason why Russia is aiming to weaken political unity with a variety of measures. If this is successful, the question arises as to how far solidarity in the alliance really extends and who is prepared to do what for the other. Mölling recalled the promise to jointly defend every inch of the Alliance's territory. If doubts grew about this, it would weaken the military capability. The expert calls on Europeans to prepare themselves in such a way that they can organize their security without the USA if necessary.
So far, America has always been the main pillar of the alliance. However, it is conceivable that the Taiwan conflict, for example, could lead to a situation in which the USA withdraws troops from Europe. The re-election of Donald Trump as US President also posed risks. "Trump doesn't have to withdraw from NATO for this to happen, it's enough if he puts a question mark behind the nuclear umbrella," says Mölling. "You have to be prepared for that."
At the moment, the military capabilities of the Europeans are not sufficient. And it would not be easy to expand them. "Money is a relatively simple means of transmission," says Mölling. It is quicker to procure than military power. "It has to be prepared, and that takes much, much longer."
Mölling is rather skeptical about the plans to station a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. "I don't think that's the best concept," he says.
"The deterrent effect of NATO does not depend on this one brigade, but on there being enough of them overall." In addition, he is not sure that there will be enough soldiers who want to go to Lithuania. "I'm more worried that the thing will die in two or three years," he says about the prospects for troop deployment in the Baltic states.
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- Christian Mölling, from the German Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on Russia's policies, emphasized during the "Ukraine - the situation" podcast that Russia is attempting to weaken NATO's political unity, as stated by the German Society for Foreign Policy.
- Mölling further explained that the main goal of Russia is to create zones of differing security within NATO, potentially leading to doubts regarding the alliance's solidarity and commitment to jointly defend each member's territory.
- Mölling suggested that Europe should prepare itself to manage its security independently of the USA, considering potential circumstances such as the withdrawal of US troops or weakening of the nuclear umbrella, as seen in the context of the USA's political climate.
Source: www.stern.de
