Baerbock defends deployment of extended US ramparts in Germany

Baerbock defends deployment of extended US ramparts in Germany

Baerbock warned against naivety regarding "a calculating cold Kremlin." The Foreign Minister referred to the fact that Putin had broken disarmament agreements and our European peace architecture years ago. "He wants to make us afraid, put us under pressure, and divide our societies." However, Baerbock stated that Germany wanted a different relationship with Russia, but "Putin's Russia is currently the greatest security risk for us and our peace in Europe."

Baerbock's Green Party colleague, European politician Anton Hofreiter, also voiced concerns about the deployment plans. "A deployment of US rockets in Germany would not lead to an escalation," Hofreiter told Funke Media Group. On the contrary, the deployment "could contribute to more security."

Hofreiter contradicted SPD parliamentary leader Rolf Mützenich. "We need to improve our defense capabilities in the face of Russia's attack on Ukraine, but we cannot ignore the risks of this deployment," Mützenich told Funke Media Group. "The rockets have a very short warning time and open up new technological capabilities. The risk of an unintended military escalation is significant."

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) already has a comprehensive, tiered deterrence capability without the new systems, added Mützenich. "I don't understand why Germany should be the one to station such systems. I've always understood collective burden sharing differently."

Support came to Mützenich over the weekend from his Green Party colleague Ralf Stegner. "Whoever listens to or even defames voices like Rolf Mützenich's is paving the way for populists who don't care about peace but about supporting autocrats," the foreign policy expert told the Tagesspiegel.

A turnaround means defense and alliance capabilities, also resilience, emphasized Stegner. But: "A turnaround does not mean that we have to start arming ourselves everywhere in the world. It does not mean that disarmament from yesterday is obsolete and we should read every wish of the arms industry. It also does not mean that we should export weapons to the whole world and believe that is the new economic policy."

Criticism came to Mützenich from the coalition partner FDP. Foreign policy expert Ulrich Lechte told the Tagesspiegel: "We should be grateful to the Americans that they are still willing to ensure Europe's security within the framework of Nato." Looking back at the peace movement of the 1980s and the mass demonstrations in Bonn, Lechte criticized Mützenich: "Mützenich is and remains in the bunker of Bonn's Hofgarten and conducts eternal debates."

Union Vice-Faction Leader Johann Wadephul (CDU) also sharply criticized Mützenich's statements. "Mützenich confuses cause and effect again: We are threatened by Russian long-range missiles stationed in Kaliningrad. Without the new US systems, we are defenseless and at least blackmailed," Wadephul told the Tagesspiegel. "Mützenich's anti-American reflex is a recurring pattern. He lives in a world that has little in common with the real politics of the Chancellor."

1. Rolf Mützenich, the SPD parliamentary leader, expressed concerns about the potential deployment of US-Rockets in Germany, stating that it could lead to an unintended military escalation.
2. Anton Hofreiter, a Green Party colleague of Baerbock, initially suggested that the deployment of US-Rockets in Germany could contribute to more security, contrary to Mützenich's view.
3. The SDP, like Mützenich, warned against the deployment, citing concerns about the short warning time and new technological capabilities of the US-Rockets, which could potentially escalate tensions with Russia.
4. In response to Mützenich's criticism, Ralf Stegner, another Green Party colleague, defended him, arguing that those who ignore Mützenich's perspective are paving the way for populists.
5. The deployment of US-Rockets in Germany has been a contentious issue, with some, like Stegner, advocating for stronger defense capabilities to counteract the threat posed by Russia.
6. Meanwhile, the FDP, a coalition partner, has offered its support to the US-Rockets deployment, with Foreign Policy Expert Ulrich Lechte praising the Americans for ensuring Europe's security within the NATO framework.
7. Stegner, however, made it clear that a turnaround in defense policy does not mean that Germany should arm itself everywhere in the world or ignore the importance of disarmament.
8. The US-Rockets deployment has been a topic of debate in German politics, with some, like Mützenich, arguing that it is necessary to counteract the threat posed by Russia's stationing of long-range missiles in Kaliningrad.
9. The US-Rockets deployment has divided opinions within the governing coalition, with some, like Mützenich, opposing it and others, like the FDP, supporting it.
10. Baerbock's warning about the Kremlin's calculations and threats towards Europe underscores the importance of maintaining a strong defense posture, and the debate over the US-Rockets deployment is a reflection of this ongoing concern.

Read also:

• This will change in July
• Shift in appetite for dairy: From cultural norms to moral conversations
• This will change in December
• Dikes withstand water masses so far - Scholz holds out the prospect of help