The Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius reported on the incident with a low flight of a Russian fighter over a frigate of the German Navy in the Baltic Sea. Welt.
The Minister of Defense of Germany compared this case with Russia’s violation of the airspace of Poland and Estonia, noting that such actions are occurring more and more frequently and intensively, and Moscow is actually “checking” borders of NATO states.
“Putin wants to provoke NATO member countries, and he wants to identify, expose and exploit alleged weaknesses in the Alliance”, Pistorius emphasized.
At the same time, the minister emphasized that the Russian president is wrong, because the bloc has already demonstrated a reaction to these actions:
“The Alliance reacted clearly and decisively to Russian provocations, but at the same time showed the necessary prudence, which is of particular importance these days.
Pistorius also emphasized that in the face of the threat, Europe should take more responsibility for its own security, and NATO, in his opinion, should become more “European”.
“For the Bundeswehr, this means that its strength must rise to around 460,000 soldiers. This should be achieved through a new military service on a voluntary basis. If the need is not met, with the consent of the Bundestag, compulsory conscription is also possible,” added the head of the German Defense Ministry.
