Pistorius voices his frustration over insufficient budget funding for the Bundeswehr.
In a report from "Süddeutsche Zeitung," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has voiced his frustration over insufficient budget funds for the Bundeswehr. During a coalition breakfast with budget and defense politicians, the minister was quoted as saying, "I don't have to do this here," implying his irritation. However, it's noted that Pistorius wasn't threatening to resign.
The reason for this tension seems to stem from a statement by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who urged ministers (without naming the defense department) to practice fiscal responsibility. Pistorius had previously advocated for a defense budget increase of at least 6.5 billion euros for 2025. As per Christian Lindner's Ministry of Finance, 52 billion euros is currently planned for the coming year.
Pistorius is a proponent of exempting additional defense spending due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine from the debt brake. He believes this would guarantee at least 2% of economic output is allocated to defense annually, given the current security situation. Constitutionally, the country's security outweighs the debt brake's importance.
Lindner, however, refuses to accept any exceptions to the debt brake, and Scholz hasn't backed the defense minister either. Anonymous Bundeswehr representatives told "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that both Scholz and the SPD are currently outdoing Pistorius. These representatives argue that the seriousness of the security situation isn't being recognized. Their evaluation of Putin's actions is "that you should be scared."
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Source: www.ntv.de
