Germany must spend more money on new weapons, says Defense Minister Pistorius with a view to the upcoming budget negotiations. In the event of an attack on Eastern European NATO partners, the Bundeswehr would not be able to defend itself. At the same time, there are warnings to neglect the Global South because of the Ukraine war. That could be important in diplomatic initiatives.
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Development Minister Svenja Schulze, Germany needs to invest more in security and development. Germany also has an obligation to protect its Eastern European NATO partners, Pistorius said at an event organized by the SPD parliamentary group on the “turn of the era”.
The countries are “nakedly afraid and know what they’re afraid of,” he said, referring to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. No one can rely on Russian President Vladimir Putin not to attack other Eastern European countries as well. However, Germany currently has no armed forces that could be defended in an open war of aggression. Sanctions alone were not enough to deter Russia. That’s why a lot of money is needed for new weapons, he said with a view to the 2024 budget negotiations.
Development Minister Schulze warned that the countries in the Global South were concerned that Germany might forget to help them through the Ukraine war. On a trip to West Africa, she was repeatedly confronted with this concern. Germany adheres to the UN target of spending 0.7 percent of economic output on development aid. But the expectations are huge.
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich also warned that the global South should not be forgotten in the debate on Ukraine. In the UN General Assembly, 141 countries had condemned Russia. But the countries that abstained or didn’t vote at all represented half of the world’s population. It is important that Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as he is now doing with India, travels to countries that may be needed if a diplomatic solution to the conflict is sought.
