Scholz ready for more responsibility in NATO if Trump wins
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz will assume greater responsibility in NATO if Donald Trump wins the US Presidency election. "Germany is the largest country in Europe within the NATO alliance," Scholz said on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington. "I can clearly and explicitly say: We will fulfill this responsibility."
Scholz responded to journalists' questions about whether he would help Germany take a stronger role in NATO and even take the lead, should Trump return to the White House after the US Presidential elections in November. The background is the disastrous TV duel between US President Joe Biden and Trump.
Scholz made it clear that he had already taken a stronger initiative in NATO. He referred to Biden's announcement and that of other NATO countries to provide additional air defense systems to Ukraine. By providing three Patriot systems, Germany "took a big step in encouraging and convincing others that this is necessary," he said. "Had Germany not taken the lead, this step would not have happened."
He also urged NATO partners to provide more air defense systems. "In my opinion, this process is not yet completed," the Chancellor emphasized. Scholz had previously met bilaterally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This one had demanded seven air defense systems from the allies before the summit - two more than what had been agreed upon. Among them are four Patriot systems and a comparable one from Italy (SAMP/T).
Germany currently has around a dozen Patriot systems at its disposal. Since the beginning of the Russian attack war in February 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly asked its allies for the provision of such systems to ward off Russian air raids.
In light of a potential Trump victory in the US Presidential elections, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz may need to assume a more prominent role within NATO, given Trump's historically critical stance towards the alliance. Furthermore, Scholz has already shown his commitment to NATO, advocating for additional air defense systems to be provided to Ukraine, with Germany taking the lead in providing three Patriot systems.
