The statements made by the German authorities about preparing for war with Russia are related to the need to please Brussels, Washington and NATO, as Germany has been experiencing problems with its sovereignty since the end of World War II, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the country must prepare for war by 2029 amid "increasing Russian threats."
"Germany has always had big problems after the World War II in terms of deficit of sovereignty and independence. And within the framework of this deficit, of course, the German authorities are racing against the clock — they have to please Brussels, the Washington Party Committee, and [NATO Secretary General Jens] Stoltenberg in NATO," Peskov told Russia media.
That is why their position is so complicated, Peskov said.
"Can you imagine them tearing up [between Brussels, NATO and Washington]?" he added. Meanwhile, Bundeswehr Deputy Inspector General Andreas Hoppe said Sunday that the German armed forces were planning to significantly increase the number of reservists in connection with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
"It is impossible without reserves. We see this in Ukraine ... We must adapt the reserve to the current challenges of security policy so that it can adequately support the Bundeswehr in carrying out tasks for the defense of the country and the alliance," Hoppe told the DPA news agency.
The goal is to build up the reserve to 60,000 people for basic purposes, who will be trained for clear tasks and included in the planning of future operations, the official said.
In addition, the Bundeswehr is currently considering how many people could potentially be drafted into the army "in case of defense," he said.
"We proceed from the fact that about 800,000 people can be drafted according to the laws of wartime. Basically, this is everyone who has ever served in the Bundeswehr, retired and is suitable for age," Hoppe said.
Western countries have been providing massive military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it will lead to an escalation of the conflict.
Kremlin on Putin's Meeting With Foreign Journalists: Russia Needs to Explain Its Position
Western authorities are imposing censorship on their media while preparing for war and this can be seen "with the naked eye," but Russia has to continue to explain its position, Dmitry Peskov also said on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"I am convinced that their editorial policy is not free in the full sense of the word. All the more so in the West, when they are in a state of preparation for war, for war with us, which they are talking about directly, they, entering into such, you know, pre-war ecstasy, begin to violate the interests of the media in a corresponding way, to put the media in a state of sub-censorship. And this is what is happening, this is what we see with the naked eye," Peskov told Russian media.
Even the most respected publications in the United States and the United Kingdom publish their materials "exactly as told," Peskov added.
"We have to try to explain our position. It's like riding a bike. You can't stop, you have to do it all the time. You have to pedal all the time," Peskov said when asked if there was any point in talking to Western media at this point.
All media representatives at the meeting agreed to meet with Putin once again, he said.
"They (media) are interested in this. A meeting with Putin these days is a big chance for any serious media outlet to get a first-hand assessment of what is going on," Peskov added.
‘Stop playing with fire’ on Ukraine – German left-wing icon (VIDEO)
Germany is helping to fan the flames of the Ukraine conflict by allowing Kiev to launch long-range strikes into Russia, veteran left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht has said.
Wagenknecht made the remarks at a rally in Berlin on Thursday ahead of European Parliament elections. The theme of the Ukraine conflict featured prominently at the demonstration, which was attended by hundreds of the politician’s supporters carrying banners bearing Wagenknecht’s face and the words “War or peace? It’s your choice now.”
The firebrand, who earlier this year split from the Left Party to form the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) – a party that is left-leaning on economic issues but closer to the far-right on several hot-button issues such as immigration – blasted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government over its Ukraine policy.
Wagenknecht specifically protested Berlin’s decision to allow Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes into Russian territory. “What scares me the most [is] the great danger that the war in Ukraine will become a major European war… they are crossing one red line after the other,” she said, adding that the fact that Ukraine is allowed to shoot at Russia with German weapons is “crazy.”
She urged other Western countries to “stop playing with fire,” while repeating calls for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. “War does not end with weapons, war is ended with peace talks,” Wagenknecht said. “At some point… something will happen, and what happens will be so terrible that you don’t want to imagine it. That’s why we can only appeal to everyone who has responsibility in our country… we have to end the war in Ukraine and not keep escalating it; that’s madness.”
According to Bloomberg, BSW enjoys around 7% support in Germany ahead of the European Parliament election.
Last month, in a landmark U-turn on Berlin’s Ukraine policy, a spokesman for Chancellor Scholz said that Germany believes Kiev’s “defensive action is not limited to its own territory, but [can] also be expanded to the territory of the aggressor.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West that he regards support for Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory as a significant escalation that could spark an “asymmetric” response. He suggested that Russia could send long-range arms to regions of the world where they could be used against sensitive sites of the countries supporting Ukraine with such weapons.
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