NATO Summit - Government seeks understanding for armament with US weapons
The German government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is counting on the understanding of the Germans for the armament with far-reaching US weapons in the country. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) trust in the insight that there is a serious threat from Russia and that it needs to be addressed.
It became known on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington that the USA plans to station weapons systems from 2026 onwards in Germany that can reach far into Russia.
Among them should be Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2500 kilometers, which technically can be nuclear armed, as well as SM-6 air defense missiles and newly developed hypersonic weapons. Russia and China reacted angrily to the announcement.
Scholz: Remarkable armament in Russia
"We know that there has been an remarkable armament in Russia, with weapons that threaten European territory", said Scholz on the sidelines of the summit in Washington.
Regarding the question of whether he reckons with greater resistance against the return of such far-reaching weapons to Germany even from his own party, Scholz said: "This decision has been long prepared and is no real surprise for those engaged in security and peace policy."
The decision revives memories of the Cold War. Scholz himself had protested as a young Social Democrat against the NATO Double-Track Decision in the early 80s, which among other things provided for the stationing of intermediate-range missiles of the Pershing II type, which were withdrawn from service after the end of the Cold War.
Habeck: Naivety is forbidden
Habeck emphasized: "We must increase our readiness, because we live in a very threatening time, which is different from the 80s. Therefore, naivety is forbidden." During the demonstrations against the NATO Double-Track Decisions in 1981, the Cold War was in full swing. "Now we are experiencing a hot war in Ukraine, because shooting and dying is happening there", said the Vice-Chancellor of the "New German Social Democrats".
Green faction vice-chair Agnieszka Brugger said on Deutschlandfunk that she understood if many people had associations with the Cold War. The measures are not a contribution to arms racing, but serve defense. It's about solidarity and protection, but not aggression.
Pistorius: No new arms race
In the ARD "Tagesthemen", Pistorius said that there could be no talk of a new arms race. "Russia has had these weapons systems in place for a long time - as we assume - in Kaliningrad, which means in absolute range to Germany and other European nations. He would not speak of a majority of critical voices.
Heusgen: Many in the government underestimate the danger
The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, criticizes the large part of the Scholz government for its communication on the Ukraine war. "In Germany, the defense minister speaks bluntly and says we must become battle-ready", said the former foreign policy advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) to the German Press Agency in Washington. However, his cabinet colleagues still underestimated the seriousness of the situation.
Dobrindt: The traffic light coalition must correct the budget**
Dobrindt: The traffic light coalition must correct the budget.
CSU-State Group Leader Alexander Dobrindt expects the Chancellor to correct the recently presented budget draft 2025. "Now it's about correcting the budget consultations from last week and presenting a defense budget that also makes these investments in deterrence, in new weapon systems possible," said the chairman of the CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag in Oberammergau, Upper Bavaria.
Moscow: NATO Plans "Link in the Escalation Chain"
The planned deployment drew strong words in Moscow. The Russian security would be affected by US weapons, according to Vice Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, as reported by the state news agency Tass. It was "a link in the escalation chain" of NATO and the USA against Russia.
"We are on the way to a Cold War. All this has happened before," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russian state television. He accused Germany, the US, France, and Britain of directly involving themselves in the conflict over Ukraine. "And all the features of the Cold War are returning - with confrontation, with direct confrontation between adversaries."
NATO Website for the Summit [https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_112232.htm]
- The German government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), is advocating for German understanding of the country's upcoming upgrading with advanced US weaponry.
- Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) recognize the need for significant action, citing potential threats from Russia.
- Reports emerged from the NATO summit in Washington concerning the USA's plan to station weapons systems in Germany from 2026, capable of reaching deep into Russian territory.
- The proposed arms include Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-6 air defense missiles, and newly developed hypersonic weapons, which could be nuclear armed.
- Christoph Heusgen, head of the Munich Security Conference, criticizes the Scholz government for underestimating the seriousness of the Ukraine war situation.
- Russian Vice Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the planned US weapon deployment as a "link in the escalation chain" against Russia, with Moscow's security at risk.
- The SPD's Agnieszka Brugger argued against any associations with an arms race, assuring that the new measures are defensive, promoting solidarity and protection rather than aggression.
- The US and China have shown concern about the decision, with China expressing its opposition during a recent NATO summit in Berlin.
- The German traffic light coalition, led by the SPD, Greens, and Free Democrats, must adjust its budget to accommodate the new defense investments in new weapon systems.
- NATO's website provides detailed information about the summit's decision, with emphasis on strengthening terrorism defense and cybersecurity in its member states.
- Olaf Scholz, referencing past experiences during the Cold War, highlighted that there has been an unexpected increase in Russian weapons threatening European areas.
- Boris Pistorius maintained that the deployment does not mark the beginning of a new arms race, as Russia has had similar weapons systems in place for an extended period.
