In the wake of the rift between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, demands for increased military spending are growing in Germany. CDU foreign policy expert Jürgen Hardt sees a turning point: “The free world clearly needs new leadership powers and the US is no longer one of them” Hardt told the Funke Media Group (Sunday editions). It is not just about helping Ukraine, which is self-evident. “Europe must now rediscover its strength. Economic power and self-awareness will also leave an impression on the Trump administration.” Great unity among Europeans, partners in Asia and Australia and important voices in the American Senate and House of Representatives could turn the tide.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth (SPD), called for faster government formation: “Government formation must be accelerated” Roth told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Sunday editions). “We cannot wait until May for a government to be formed. Germany must quickly be able to fulfill its significant role again, otherwise we will fail in history. For if the EU member states are weak, Europe will not be able to stand up to the US.” The coalition negotiations could not be conducted in the old way. “Tactics and vanity must be set aside. It can no longer take weeks to dispute every word” Roth said.
The CSU is calling for a faster armament of Germany and immediate purchases of weapons for the Bundeswehr. CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt told the “Bild am Sonntag” in reference to the White House crisis: “This should be a warning signal for us. We must quickly become defense-capable with significantly more investments in military technology, weapons and equipment. The long-drawn-out procurement system must be exposed and replaced by the principle of immediate purchase.”
For the Greens, Anton Hofreiter spoke up and called for a state of emergency resolution by the Bundestag to quickly increase defense spending. “The US is no longer the ally of Europe with Trump” said the chairman of the European Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, also to the RND. “That should be clear to everyone in Germany and Europe since the comedy at the White House.” He added, “We now need a very quick explanation of the emergency by the Bundestag and the allocation of significant funds for our security. Furthermore, a large aid package for Ukraine is necessary. To finance it, we should immediately seize and use the approximately 270 billion euros of frozen Russian money.