German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warns against "complacency" regarding the dangers posed by Russia, saying that dictator Putin seeks not only to defeat Ukraine but also to undermine democracy in Europe. He said this in an interview with Bloomberg, reports UNN.
Details
According to Merz, Russia is "on a path toward destabilizing the entire political order on our European continent." Merz also said that Germany, together with other European and non-American allies, is financing Ukraine without Washington's assistance in paying for defense and equipment.
This is indeed a major burden on our budgets; it is truly an important matter for the European Union. ... But we are doing it and trying to continue doing it until this terrible war is over. ... I try to convince Donald Trump every time I meet with him that this must be in his own interests
He stressed that many people, including in Germany, do not take this threat seriously enough.
They do not see what Russia's real goal is. It is not only territorial gains in Ukraine. They are afraid of democracy. They are afraid of open societies. They are afraid of the success of European integration
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"This is indeed a major effort for our budgets; it is truly a major undertaking for the European Union. But we are doing it and trying to continue doing it until this terrible war ends. ... We hear the call to awaken. And we are trying to take a position that will make us strong enough to compete and defend ourselves independently within NATO," Merz added.
We remind you
The day before, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke out against transferring frozen Russian assets held in Europe under U.S. control, emphasizing that Europeans should make decisions regarding these funds.