International Pistorius: Long-range US weapons strengthen deterrence

The Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and Defense Minister of the coalition government are in agreement: stationing long-range US weapons in Germany is an effective contribution to deterring Russian aggression.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) told ZDF's "heute journal" at the NATO summit in Washington: "We have a new threat situation. Vladimir Putin has shown what he is willing and able to do."

The minister told ARD's "Tagesthemen" that there could be no talk of a new arms race. "Russia has had these weapons systems stationed for some time in Kaliningrad, among other places - as we suspect - which means they are within absolute range of Germany and other European nations."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and his deputy Robert Habeck (Greens) also see the armament as a necessity. "We know that there has been an incredible arms build-up in Russia, with weapons that threaten European territory," said Scholz at the summit to mark the 75th anniversary of NATO.

Habeck told the newspaper "Neue Westfälische" (Friday edition) that the Russian arms build-up "obviously also threatens Nato's eastern flank". "So Russia is not a peace partner at the moment."

Russia - and also China - are fiercely criticizing the plans and showing unity. Russia's foreign ministry threatened a military response. China rejected the alliance's accusation of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin in a war of aggression against Ukraine. The declaration of the NATO anniversary summit on China was full of war rhetoric, slander and provocation.

The leadership in Moscow also had harsh words for the political and military decisions of the heads of government of the alliance on Ukraine. Support was promised to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky, which should one day lead to NATO membership. With regard to China, representatives from Indo-Pacific states also took part in the discussions.

Scholz: US decision fits in with our strategy

Scholz said that there had been lengthy discussions on how to respond to Russia's armament with conventional deterrence in addition to the NATO nuclear umbrella. The deployment of long-range weapons had already been laid down a year ago in Germany's first National Security Strategy. "That is why the United States' decision fits in perfectly with this strategy, which we have been discussing publicly for a long time."

For the first time since the Cold War, the USA wants to station weapons systems in Germany that reach as far as Russia. This was announced by the White House and the German government on Wednesday.

Moscow is around 1600 kilometers from Berlin as the crow flies. From 2026, Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly developed supersonic weapons will provide better protection for NATO allies in Europe.

The decision brings back memories of the Cold War. As a young Social Democrat in the early 1980s, Scholz himself protested against the NATO Dual-Track Decision, which included the deployment of Pershing II medium-range missiles, which were withdrawn after the end of the Cold War in 1991.

A lot of money to Ukraine - the path to accession is irreversible

In the summit declaration, Ukraine is promised that it will again receive military aid worth at least 40 billion euros within the next year. This is roughly the same amount that was mobilized last year. A compromise has been reached on the issue of NATO membership prospects. The alliance assures Ukraine that it can no longer be stopped on its way to joining the defense alliance.

Moscow: Nato plans "chain link in the escalation course"

Moscow had strong words to say about the planned stationing of weapons systems in Germany. Russian security would be compromised by the US weapons, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov according to the state news agency Tass. It was "a link in the escalation course" of NATO and the USA towards Russia.

"We are well on the way to a Cold War. This has all happened before," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television. He accused Germany, the USA, France and the UK of being directly involved in the conflict over Ukraine. "And all the features of the Cold War are returning - with confrontation, with direct confrontation between opponents."

Russia revises nuclear doctrine

The Kremlin called the NATO decisions on Ukraine a threat to its own security. The decision to include Ukraine in the alliance sooner or later illustrates the alliance's main goal of keeping Russia down, said Peskov. He confirmed that changes to the nuclear doctrine were being worked on. The current guiding principle is that Russia may only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or an existential threat to the country in the event of a conventional attack.

US election campaign at the summit: how will Joe Biden fare in the end?

US President Joe Biden was under constant scrutiny at the NATO meeting after sowing doubts about his mental and physical fitness in a TV duel against Trump at the end of June. Biden got through the first two days as host almost without a hitch. However, Biden does not usually make the biggest blunders anyway when he reads speeches from the teleprompter. It becomes difficult for the 81-year-old when he speaks freely. That is why the real test for the US President is yet to come: On Friday night, he wants to give a press conference at the end of the NATO summit.

SDA