In the face of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announced talks on the future of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is urging an immediate suspension and reform of the debt brake.
“Not to act would mean putting the security of our country and our continent at stake. And I will not do that in this critical phase for our country” Scholz said in a statement hastily arranged on Thursday. In order for Europe to be an equal partner for the US, one must significantly increase efforts for security, in order to be able to live in peace in the future. The events of the past 24 hours and the statement of the US government mean that the response to the financing question can no longer be delayed. “We must give it – and we must do it now” the Chancellor said.
As to how much more must be spent on defense, this must be derived from what capabilities are needed to protect Germany and NATO from any possible attack, Scholz demanded. “Our defense expenditures must continue to grow significantly. Alone to maintain the Nato’s two percent target, we need an additional 30 billion euros from the federal budget as of 2028. Every additional percentage we spend on our defense corresponds to an additional 43 billion euros at present” he said.
“These are massive amounts. By the end of this decade, we will be talking about triple-digit billion sums.” Anyone who claims that such sums can be saved by “cutting 2 billion here and half a billion there from the ongoing budget” is spreading sand in the eyes of the citizens, said the SPD’s top candidate. “Worse still: He is dodging the most important question of the future, which exists, namely the question of whether we will be able to live in peace in the future or not” Scholz said.
Scholz justified his initiative with the statements of the US government the day before. “President Trump has started talks with President Putin on ending the Russian attack war against Ukraine” he said. At the same time, the US Defense Minister had “suggested territorial concessions to Ukraine” Scholz said. “And he has also spoken of the deployment of troops. Moreover, he has formulated clear expectations for us Europeans.”
The SPD politician demanded, on the one hand, a reform of the debt brake to exclude investments in security and defense from it. “Secondly, the Bundestag should quickly pass a resolution declaring the war in Ukraine and its severe consequences for the security of Germany and Europe as a state of emergency in the sense of Article 115, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law.” This would lead to the support for Ukraine, which is more important than ever, no longer being a burden on other tasks that the German state has to fulfill for its citizens, he said. “Thirdly, we will drive the discussion within the European Union forward on how we can really achieve investments in our defense and the buildup of a strong European defense industry” Scholz said.
He had sworn the oath as Chancellor to avert harm to the German people. “On February 24, 2022, I therefore made far-reaching decisions to react powerfully to the times of upheaval that Russia’s attack war means” Scholz said. Today, one is standing at such a point again. “Today, we must face the reality that the actions and the announcement of the US government mean for Ukraine, for Europe and for the world.