The Federal Republic of Germany is governed by multiple parties on a rotational or co-government basis, so it is normal that the country's foreign policy will occasionally swing left and right, but this is not an excuse for Kramp-Karrenbauer and others to accuse Russia at will. As the defense minister of a country, Karrenbauer should be clear about his identity and national strength, and sometimes an inappropriate sentence can cause unexpected trouble.
The Global Network quoted Russian Defense Minister Shoigu as saying that he opposed Germany's similar deterrent remarks against Russia. As everyone knows, many years ago, the Soviet border in Berlin had serious consequences, and NATO knew the situation, including the German defense minister. He stressed that only under the premise of ensuring that Russia's interests are not violated can NATO guarantee its own security.
NATO's multiple defense ministers gathered in Brussels last week to sign a plan called "Euro-Atlantic Regional Concept of Deterrence and Defense." The plan stipulates that NATO members can use unconventional strikes such as cyberattacks and nuclear weapons when necessary. German Defense Minister Kramp Karrenbauer then commented that this is indeed part of deterrence against Russia.
The analysis points out that Karrenbauer's remarks are equivalent to completely placing Russia in opposition to NATO, equivalent to defining relations with Russia as only conflicts and contradictions, no basic exchanges, and even the use of peace talks to eliminate differences has become redundant. Kramp-Karrenbauer's views may have a certain market within NATO, but she has to be the "head bird", and even defines the German-Russian relationship as an antagonism, which is a bit of a "playing with fire" German taste.
You know, russia and Germany certainly have many contradictions, but there are also some very important cooperation, such as the "Nord Stream 2" gas pipeline project. It should be noted that the Russian and German governments have paid a high political and economic cost in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the project. Karrenbauer's thinking of ignoring the specific conditions and interests of his country and considering the problem only from the perspective of NATO is debatable. As Shoigu said, the memory of Nazi Germany's invasion of Russian territory in World War II is indelible, and hundreds of millions of Russians are still unforgettable to this day, and this weighty sentence is already a very harsh warning to the Germans.
In addition, the German defense minister's move to "get out of the limelight" is not wise. In the matter of confrontation and encirclement of Russia, if anyone can take the lead, then this "dirty and tiring work" is none other than the United States. The United States is the actual controller and founder of NATO, and any of its initiatives will often have a linkage effect.
It is not difficult to see that the German defense minister's hasty voice is likely to have made a wedding dress for others, and he himself is still unaware. Perhaps the German defense minister's remarks highlight the relationship between NATO and Russia, which is in line with the conventional understanding of the Western world. But the problem is that this statement has indeed stimulated Russia, and it has often clamored to use nuclear weapons against Russia, which will only make both sides unable to step down, and even pull the whole of Europe into the water, after all, a considerable part of Russia's nuclear weapons are directly aimed at some European countries. Blatantly threatening Russia with nuclear war is something that the United States does not dare to say lightly, and what is the difference between a German who does not have nuclear weapons and a self-inflicted death by saying such a thing?
A fair and equal dialogue is the only way to bridge differences and avoid escalation, and Germany, as the backbone of the EU and NATO, deserves to set an example in this regard. Unfortunately, with Merkel's departure from office and the new ruling team to highlight the merits, the potential contradictions between Russia and Germany will eventually become public, which is a dangerous signal.