The Russian threat “is underestimated by many people in my country,” says Merz

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has expressed concern that the threat posed by Russia is not being taken seriously enough in Germany. The war in Ukraine is only part of the overall picture, said Merz in a Bloomberg interview. "The big picture is that Russia is destabilizing the entire political order of our European continent. And that is obviously underestimated by many people, including in my country."

People don't see what Russia's actual goal is. "And this is not just territorial gain in Ukraine. It goes far beyond that," emphasized Merz. Referring to those in power in Moscow, he said: “They fear democracy, they fear open societies, they fear the success of European integration, and they want to undermine that success, and they are on the way to doing that.” Many people, including in Germany, underestimated this threat, “which is really there every day.”

A stable European continent is also in the interests of the USA

When supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia, Merz pointed out that the USA had stopped giving money for weapons and equipment since the beginning of last year. The coalition of the willing from Europeans and non-European states is now providing help.

“So that shows that we can do it on our own,” emphasized Merz. This is a great burden on households, but efforts are being made to continue this aid until this terrible war ends.