Bundeswehr soldiers could soon hold exercises in Poland, together with the Polish and US armies. In doing so, the three countries want to send a signal of unity not only to their NATO allies, but also to Russia.
The armed forces of the USA, Germany and Poland apparently want to hold joint maneuvers in Poland soon. Although he does not want to confirm this “now”, there are corresponding considerations, said Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in the “Report from Berlin” on ARD.
That would be a “very clear” signal to the NATO alliance, but also to Russian President Vladimir Putin: “This NATO is by no means as weak as he thought,” said the SPD politician. “She is much stronger.” In addition, she is “much more united” than before the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. For the countries in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, it is also important to see that Germany and the USA stand by their commitment to defending the alliance, said Pistorius.
The Federal Minister of Defense also underlined the demands for an increase in the defense budget. It will take another three years until the 100 billion special funds for the Bundeswehr have been spent. “And then it will be clear that we need more.” That’s why it’s important “that the budget of the Ministry of Defense grows, grows significantly, because otherwise we won’t be able to carry out the tasks that we haven’t been able to carry out for 30 years”. Pistorius emphasized that this also applies to the period after the Russian war in Ukraine.
