Pistorius calls Trump's possible re-election a "catastrophe"
Former US President Trump wants to run for re-election. In the event of a victory, Defense Minister Pistorius sees black for transatlantic relations. Europe would then no longer be able to count on the USA when it comes to fending off Russian aggression, for example.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned of far-reaching consequences for US engagement in Europe if Donald Trump were to return to the White House. This case would be "a catastrophe", said Pistorius in Berlin. If the incumbent US President Joe Biden is re-elected, this would be "much better". However, even under Biden, "it is foreseeable that the United States will shift its focus, its attention more to the Indo-Pacific".
"If they do this, they will probably not be able to maintain the same level of engagement in Europe," said Pistorius at the Körber Foundation's Berlin Foreign Policy Forum. This means that the Europeans within NATO "will then (...) have to take on more responsibility at the latest".
Trump already had a difficult relationship with his European NATO partners during his first term in office. Initially, he even described the military alliance as "obsolete". He later regularly criticized the Europeans for spending too little on defence and accused Germany in particular of allowing itself to be protected from Russia at the expense of the USA.
Pistorius: Europeans must intensify armaments cooperation
With regard to greater armaments cooperation between Europeans, Pistorius said that this must also focus on creating compatible systems. One lesson from the war in Ukraine was that there should not be too many different types of weapons systems. For example, he could not say how many different types of 155 millimeter calibre artillery ammunition there are. "We can't afford that if we have to fight together on the eastern flank in an emergency."
The initiative for a European air defense system (ESI) launched by Chancellor Olaf Scholz had also shown that there was no weapon system in Europe to defend against long-range missiles. Germany had therefore ordered the Israeli Arrow 3 system.
Pistorius admitted that this had led to disagreements with France. French President Emmanuel Macron took the view that there was enough time to develop such a system in Europe because there was no acute threat. "You can argue about the assessment," said Pistorius. "We say that we are at least so threatened that we can't wait ten years to develop something."
- Boris Pistorius expressed concern about the potential re-election of former US President Donald Trump, viewing it as a "catastrophe" for transatlantic relations.
- In response to Trump's possible return to the White House, Pistorius stated that Europe would no longer be able to rely on the USA for fending off Russian aggression.
- Current US President Joe Biden's re-election, in contrast, would be "much better" according to Pistorius.
- Under Biden, the USA is expected to shift its focus towards the Indo-Pacific, which may result in reduced engagement in Europe.
- Pistorius believes this would necessitate Europeans within NATO to increase their responsibility in defending against Russian aggression.
- Pistorius advocated for greater armaments cooperation among Europeans, emphasizing the need for compatible systems to avoid having too many different types of weapons systems.
- The German Ministry of Defense, led by Pistorius, agreed to purchase the Israeli Arrow 3 air defense system due to the lack of such a weapon system in Europe.
- This decision led to disagreements with France, with French President Emmanuel Macron advocating for more time to develop such a system within Europe, a viewpoint that Pistorius disagreed with, stating that the situation required immediate action.
Source: www.ntv.de
