According to security expert Christian Mölling, Russia wants to weaken and wear down the Western military alliance – but not through a major military confrontation.
According to security expert Christian Mölling, the Russian leadership is looking for ways to shake NATO’s cohesion. Mölling said on Tuesday in the 177th edition of star– “Ukraine – the situation”: “If there is an opportunity to attack NATO not militarily but politically, then we will use it.” The goal is to split the Western alliance and create zones of varying security within the alliance.
“It’s not always about a shooting war,” explains the research director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. It’s about “gradually changing the balance and getting more power.” Ultimately, Russia seeks control over its “geopolitical apron.” But this does not mean that it wants to keep large parts of NATO territory occupied.
Russia on Ukraine – and wants to weaken NATO
“Military power only arises through political unity,” says Mölling. That is precisely the reason why Russia is using a variety of measures to weaken political unity. If this is successful, the question arises as to how far solidarity in the alliance really extends and who is prepared to do what for the other. Mölling reminds us of the promise to jointly defend every inch of the alliance’s territory. If doubts about this grow, it will weaken military performance. The expert calls on Europeans to prepare so that they can organize their security without the USA if necessary.
Until now, America has always been the mainstay of the alliance. However, it is conceivable that the Taiwan conflict, for example, could create a situation in which the USA withdraws troops from Europe. There would also be risks if Donald Trump were re-elected as US President. “Trump doesn’t have to leave NATO for that, it’s enough if he puts a question mark behind the nuclear protective shield,” says Mölling. “You have to prepare for that.”
At the moment, the Europeans’ military capabilities were not sufficient. And it is not easy to expand it. “Money is a relatively simple means of transmission,” says Mölling. It can be acquired more quickly than military power. “It has to be prepared, it takes much, much longer.”
Mölling is rather skeptical about the plans to station a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. “I don’t think that’s the best concept,” he says.
“NATO’s deterrent effect does not depend on this one brigade, but on the fact that there is enough overall.” In addition, he is not sure that there will be enough soldiers who want to go to Lithuania. “I’m more worried that the thing will die in two or three years,” he says about the prospects of stationing troops in the Baltics.
Source: Stern
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