Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann: “Europe has to grow up now”

Donald Trump has announced that if he is re-elected as US President, he will not unconditionally defend all NATO states against a Russian attack. Will Europeans have to prepare to ensure their own security for the first time since the Second World War?
Trump’s comments are outrageous and frightening. It undermines the security of the entire West. But regardless of who wins the US election, it is urgently time for Europe to prepare to defend itself and play a larger role in NATO. Europe has to grow up now, even if not everyone has understood that yet. But it’s obvious what’s going on on our doorstep.

What does that mean specifically?
Take support for Ukraine. When it comes to what we deliver, we have always taken our lead from the USA. So far, no one has come up with the idea that we should suggest something to the Americans: We’ll deliver this and that, will you join in? We always took a backseat so as not to lean too far out of the window and take the lead. But our European partners also expect this from Germany.

Will things only move forward if we commit more than others?
If we, as a strong economy in the heart of Europe, are prepared to go beyond what we have done so far, we can also demand more from others. Our expectation should be that everyone delivers according to their own strengths. We can lead by example.

Many European countries, especially in the west and south, are clearly no longer interested in helping Ukraine. Is a smaller coalition of the willing enough?

I don’t see that there are any countries that are opting out completely. But obviously the EU is not really willing to shape a common, consistent foreign policy. We must recognize that conflicts around Europe affect us all because it concerns our freedom as an entire Union. It’s a fallacy to believe that someone else’s conflict doesn’t concern you just because you don’t seem to be directly affected by it geographically.

We simply have to set different priorities.

Was Donald Trump right? We Europeans have actually not paid adequately for our security for a long time.
Europe did not, in fact, have a consistent stance. You cannot simultaneously buy cheap gas from Russia, fail to meet NATO’s expectations and ask the Americans to protect us from this Russia. Obama has already pointed out that the USA is increasingly looking towards the Indo-Pacific and expects us to take care of the trouble spots on our side of the Atlantic.

Ultimately, efforts to counter Russian aggression will cost us all prosperity. We will become poorer. Do you dare to tell people that in the European election campaign?
I don’t see us becoming substantially poorer. We simply have to set different priorities. Without security everything is nothing. If we secure the doors and windows in the European House much better, also to be able to ward off an inconvenient neighbor, then that will protect the prosperity that we have created for ourselves in this house. It’s based on security.

How do you respond when voters say: Help us first before you help the Ukrainians?
There should be people who don’t feel stupid when they wear a T-shirt that says: “What does Ukraine matter to me?” I would like to tell them for the record that Vladimir Putin will not hesitate to attack the Baltics if he is successful in Ukraine. Then the alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty takes effect, and our soldiers would also have to defend the territory. This should be printed on a t-shirt.

What would it mean for Ukraine politics if the right-wing populists made dramatic gains in many countries in the European elections?
We shouldn’t encourage evil. I too am campaigning to prevent exactly that. How good that citizens are taking to the streets to demonstrate against the AfD. We must make it clear that right-wing populists are standing for election solely to destroy parliament from within. I don’t bring a guest into the house who I know wants to set my place on fire.

What remains: The EU wanted to, but couldn’t get it together.

A major problem in Ukraine is the lack of artillery ammunition. How can it be that the Europeans fail to fulfill their delivery promises?
There was a loud promise to deliver one million urgently needed bullets to Ukraine within a year. You should only cluck when the egg is laid. Apparently Brussels has completely overlooked the fact that the industry has been reducing its capacity for decades because no one in Europe has bought enough ammunition. Astonishing.

Why?
Ursula von der Leyen was Defense Minister for six years before becoming President of the EU Commission. She could have known that you don’t cut ammo out of your ribs. This is tragic for Ukraine, and it remains stuck: the EU wanted to, but couldn’t get it done.

The industry creates new capacity when it has binding orders at high prices. Why does it take so long for them to be awarded?
It is understandable that the industry wants medium and long-term contracts in order to be able to increase capacity and hire staff in a planned manner. But she is also entrepreneurial. In view of the security policy situation, one can certainly expect that the companies will not rely on a ten-year plan like the state-owned companies in the GDR once did, but will instead take entrepreneurial risks. After all, you also earn a lot of money. It’s all in the mix: reliable framework conditions and forward-looking business decisions.

In Russia, despite all the sanctions, armaments appear to be in full swing. Are autocracies better suited to mobilizing all forces towards a goal?
No freely elected representatives decide on this. Putin relies exclusively on a war economy. When the war is over, Russia will only have weapons. But no one gets tired of weapons. An impending catastrophe for the people of Russia. They will sink into unimaginable poverty.

Given the desperate military situation in eastern Ukraine, how credible is the promise that we will help Ukraine for as long as necessary?
That’s a big promise: “as long as it takes”. I think it’s necessary, but what does it mean in reality? Ukraine is like a man about to drown. He is given lots of lifebuoys so that he doesn’t sink. But no one gives him a brave hand to pull him out of the water. We take two steps forward and one step back. This is a historic mistake that we will all bitterly regret.

What will it take to pull Ukraine out of the water?
In addition to economic and humanitarian support and the prospect of Ukraine becoming a member of the EU within the decade, we must supply more weapons. What we have delivered so far is excellent, but it is not enough. I also point out Taurus here…

…the cruise missile that Ukraine would like to have.
This highly effective weapon system is urgently needed to weaken Russia’s supplies, but has been denied for months for reasons that I cannot understand.

Because the Chancellor doesn’t want that.
Apparently. We urgently need a strategy as to what we can actually do to support it in the future. It’s not just me who expects this. We always respond only to Ukraine’s requests. But that won’t be enough in the long run.

Do you believe that all Russian-occupied territories can be liberated?
In such a terrible war, individual battles are lost. But that doesn’t mean the war is lost. The big problem is the time factor. Putin wants us to get bogged down in discussions and weaken Ukraine’s defenses because we are not fast enough.

Do you have an example?
We spent a whopping seven months discussing whether and, if so, how many Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard main battle tanks we would make available to Ukraine. When the decision was finally made, the Russians used the time to dig up positions over hundreds of kilometers and mine them across the area.

We Germans are discussing compulsory military service again. Is this a military necessity or a change in consciousness in society?
Anyone who wants to reactivate compulsory military service must first explain how this is supposed to work in practice. We don’t have enough barracks, enough trainers, let alone enough material to train hundreds of thousands of young men and women every year. It would also be highly problematic to withdraw so many young people from the job and training market. We are not solving the Bundeswehr’s personnel problem with sham discussions, but by making the Bundeswehr a ready, well-equipped and therefore attractive army again. In this way, young people will be motivated to take on responsibility in this unusual profession.