No “eternal peace”?
Heusgen wants to return to the logic of the Cold War
April 18, 2024, 10:23 a.m
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With Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the dream of peace in Europe is over. In view of the threat, the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Heusgen, even calls for a return to the logic of the Cold War.
The head of the Munich Security Conference has called for more military support for Ukraine and further measures against Iran. “We have to go back to a certain logic like we had in the Cold War,” said Christoph Heusgen on ZDF. This logic must be characterized by defense and a “strong foreign policy”.
Germany and its partners were not in a deep sleep, “but I think we did not take these attacks on the security of Israel and Ukraine seriously,” said Heusgen. Many believed that they would live in “eternal peace”. Now it is important to fulfill our obligations to NATO and our own population.
NATO expert Stefanie Babst, who urgently warned against a war in Europe in her role as an expert in the Bundestag a few days before the Russian attack, said in an interview with ntv.de: “We have to prepare ourselves strategically, politically, economically and also socially “Stop a long conflict with Russia: strengthen our own defense readiness and resilience, keep the ranks politically close and try to take away the escalation dominance of the terror regime.”
Heusgen: Europe cannot replace the USA
Heusgen continued that Ukraine currently has its “back to the wall” and is heading for defeat. The soldiers could “no longer withstand these massive, ongoing Russian attacks, especially on the infrastructure” and therefore urgently needed support.
The former advisor to ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel was confident that the USA could still launch a long-awaited aid package worth around 60 billion US dollars. The House of Representatives wants to vote on it on Saturday. The EU states are currently unable to keep up with the delivery and production of important ammunition, said Heusgen. If the USA ceases to be a supporter of Ukraine, “Europe cannot replace it”.
With regard to Iran, sanctions are the right means. However, some countries such as China would not take part and would continue to buy cheap energy from Iran. According to Heusgen, the inclusion of the Revolutionary Guards on the EU terror list, as demanded by the chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP) Manfred Weber, would be “an important symbol”.