The head of German diplomacy says plainly: We are ready for 5% of defence GDP

natemat.pl 1 month ago

The government is ready to allocate 5% of GDP to defence," German abroad Minister Johann Wadephul confirmed in an interview published on Saturday in "Sueddeutsche Zeitung".

"This goal is not contested in the coalition. After the statements made by the Chancellor, the Minister of Defence and my declaration, it is clear. Of course, we inactive gotta make the essential decisions in government and in parliament. The coalition agreement is clear on this issue – what will be passed at the NATO summit in The Hague in June will be carried out," the head of German diplomacy explained.

As he added, he does not uncertainty that the "wise proposal" of the Secretary-General of the Alliance to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence and 1.5 percent on the essential infrastructure for defence will be accepted by 2032. In the case of the failure of the NATO summit, he felt that there would be "uncertainties that we cannot afford."

"Russia is simply a threat"

The task of politicians is to convince the public that these immense expenses are necessary. "Russia threatens us; it has shifted its economy to war tracks," said Johann Wadephul, adding that China will besides defend itself to power.

Wadephul advocated maintaining transatlantic ties. "The continuation of the Alliance is in line with the interests of Europe, but besides with the interests of the US and Canada. This guaranteed peace and stableness for decades," he explained. He added that replacing the atomic umbrella of the United States would not be possible in the foreseeable future.

The head of the German MFA said that from the beginning it could not be expected that the war in Ukraine would end with a "complete defeat" with Russia's atomic weapons. A more realistic solution is through negotiation. The Ukrainians themselves must make the decision – he said.

When asked if a hybrid war was going on between Germany and Russia, Wadephul replied that he would like to avoid the word "war", but it is besides hard to talk about "peace situation". Germany must explain the legal situation – how to deal with drones that fly over military facilities or with the demolition of underwater cables outside German territory. "It is presently unclear whether we are allowed to intervene and defend ourselves," said the head of the German diplomacy paper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung".