BERLIN (Reuters) – Europe must ensure it can defend itself better as new military threats could emerge by the end of the decade, Germany’s defense minister said.
Russia has significantly increased its weapons production to support its invasion of Ukraine, while threatening the Baltic states, Georgia and Moldova, Boris Pistorius stressed in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
The minister added that the United States would likely reduce its military engagement in Europe as it turns more attention to the Indo-Pacific region.
“We Europeans must do more to guarantee security on our own continent,” said Boris Pistorius, specifying however that it would take time for Europe to increase its own arms production.
“We have about 5 to 8 years to catch up, in terms of the armed forces, industry and society,” he estimated.
Europe is aware that it may have to compensate for US aid to Ukraine if Washington cannot agree on new funding, he added.
The election of a more pro-European government in Poland should now allow the Weimar Triangle (Berlin, Paris and Warsaw) to further develop its military cooperation, he added.
“We need to find the best way to establish ourselves on the eastern flank based on NATO defense plans,” he said, stressing that he wanted to visit Poland as soon as possible next year .
Boris Pistorius added that he did not currently envisage the German army repeating missions as important as those it carried out in Afghanistan and Mali.
“But small missions, particularly in the area of military consultation or cooperation with countries that do not necessarily share our values, will be essential,” he said.
“The alternative would be to no longer have contact with these countries and simply hand them over to the Russians and Chinese, which would be much more dangerous.”
(Report Sarah Marsh, written by Sandra Maler, French version Benjamin Mallet)
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