A leading voice within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is calling for a more assertive role for Germany within the NATO alliance ahead of a planned visit by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to meet with CDU leader Friedrich Merz. Roderich Kiesewetter, the CDU’s expert on foreign affairs and security, emphasized the need for Germany to demonstrably increase its leadership and commitment within the transatlantic partnership.
Kiesewetter’s remarks, published in the “Rheinische Post”, focus particularly on the urgency of bolstering support for Ukraine. He expressed concern that Germany has yet to fully adapt its strategic approach to align with the current geopolitical and geo-economic challenges. Without a rapid shift in perspective, he warned, the conflict could escalate significantly within the next two years.
The CDU politician voiced apprehension that perceived European weakness and inconsistencies might embolden actors like Russia and China to escalate from hybrid attacks to conventional aggression, not only against NATO member states but also against regions like Taiwan.
To demonstrate the required resolve, Kiesewetter proposed a series of concrete measures. These include dramatically increasing arms production, escalating military aid to Ukraine towards one percent of Germany’s gross domestic product, promptly deploying Taurus missile systems, authorizing the allocation of Russian assets to Ukraine, implementing a mandatory national service program and re-evaluating Germany’s policy towards China. He underscored that implementing these actions would be considerably less costly than the potential consequences of a Ukrainian collapse and wider conflict.