Security policy

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Ukraine hopes for 12th sanctions package before year’s end
Ukraine is pushing for the EU to expand energy sanctions against Moscow to include Russian LNG gas. Russia has been able to massively expand exports of liquefied natural gas to some EU states, Vladyslav Vlasyuk said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s sanctions adviser was at a coordination meeting in Brussels this week, where he urged a ban […] continue reading →
Hans Christoph Atzpodien – chief lobbyist of the German arms industry
Hans Christoph Atzpodien knows how to maneuver in what is probably the most disagreeable of all industries – legally, strategically, but above all argumentatively. What he invests his energy in – in preventing an arms export control law, for example – or when he lets it go – vis-à-vis the media, for example.Atzpodien, who was […] continue reading →
Wolfgang Schmidt – the face of the Bundeswehr in Lithuania
An “exciting and fulfilling” assignment almost lies behind him, says Colonel Wolfgang Schmidt. One that he would take on again at any time: Until the beginning of August, he still leads the German contingent of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Lithuania as commander. Since February 2023, Schmidt has been at the helm of NATO’s […] continue reading →
Lambsdorff: ‘Important to preserve certain forums’
The designated German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, has a difficult job ahead of him. Although Russia has expelled embassy staff on several occasions, he sees his appointment as a positive sign. How can one talk to a country that doesn't actually want to talk? continue reading →
Alexander Schuster – a rhyme for the turn of the times
Alexander Schuster currently has to answer many questions: “Many of our European partners cannot make sense of the German turnaround”, says the security policy expert of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). There is a lot of need for explanation, even among experts in other countries, because so far there is little to be seen.In his […] continue reading →
EU wants to more closely link climate and security policy
The EU wants to link climate change and security more closely in its future foreign policy strategy. To this end, it announced an action plan comprising around 30 measures on Wednesday. After all, the consequences of climate change, such as the loss of livelihoods due to droughts or floods, growing migration patterns, health risks or […] continue reading →
Gabuev: ‘China provides Western leaders like Scholz a cheap cover’
Alexander Gabuev knows the relationship between China and Russia better than most. In conversation with Michael Radunski, he explains how dangerous the partnership between Beijing and Moscow can yet become for the West. continue reading →
Borrell: Joint EU armaments plan will work
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell backed a call on Sunday for EU members to jointly buy arms in support of Ukraine. However, he warned that this would not be enough to meet Kyiv’s urgent need for more ammunition.This was Borrell’s response to an Estonian proposal for the EU to place large orders for ammunition […] continue reading →
Puglierin: ‘Germany has lost trust with partners in the East’
If Germany really wants to be a security guarantor for the EU, it must act differently, says political scientist Jana Puglierin in an interview with Nana Brink and Viktor Funk. Especially in Central and Eastern Europe, Berlin has lost prestige. continue reading →
London wants to quickly deliver 14 battle tanks to Ukraine
The British government wants to supply Ukraine with battle tanks, fuelling the debate in Germany over the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks. The office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Sunday night that 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks are to be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks. Also planned is the delivery […] continue reading →
Germany supplies Marder to Ukraine
The debate on the delivery of infantry fighting vehicles or battle tanks to Ukraine has taken a turn: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives the go-ahead for the delivery of up to 40 Marder. Meanwhile, a Finnish initiative demands that Germany take the lead in tank deliveries. continue reading →
France supplies Ukraine with ‘light battle tanks’
France wants to supply Ukraine with “light battle tanks.” This was promised by the French head of state Emmanuel Macron to his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Élysée Palace announced on Wednesday after a telephone conversation between the two presidents. The tank is said to be the AMX-10 RC armored reconnaissance vehicle. The wheeled tank […] continue reading →
Employee arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office arrested an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) for alleged espionage for Russia. Carsten L. is accused of treason, the Federal Prosecutor General in Karlsruhe announced on Thursday. The German allegedly passed on state secret information to a Russian intelligence service this year. L. was arrested in Berlin on Wednesday […] continue reading →
Turkey: Sweden still needs to meet requirements to join NATO
Turkey does not see the preconditions for Sweden’s planned NATO accession fulfilled. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu accused the government in Stockholm on Thursday of failing to extradite terrorists. In addition, Sweden had not frozen their assets as requested. At a joint press conference in Ankara, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said his government had […] continue reading →
Decentralized energy system more secure according to Commission
An energy system based on renewable energy also has security benefits, according to a senior Commission official. “With a more decentralized energy system, Ukraine would be less vulnerable to Russian attacks,” Florian Ermacora, Head of Unit International Relations in the Directorate General for Energy, said yesterday at a meeting of the Institute for Energy and […] continue reading →
Reports of missile strike in Poland
Two people have died in an explosion on a farm in a Polish town near the border with Ukraine. The cause of the explosion in the village of Przewodów is still unclear, a spokesman for the fire department in Hrubieszów told Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Tuesday. Earlier, the government in Warsaw had called a meeting of […] continue reading →
Michael Gahler: ‘An expression of impending defeat’
Michael Gahler, foreign policy spokesman for the EPP Group, doubts that Russia's President Putin will be able to mobilize the announced 300,000 troops. The West should continue to support Ukraine, he demands in an interview by Ella Joyner – and to jointly deliver 200 Leopard tanks. continue reading →
Jana Puglierin – Europe must arm itself
Recently, Jana Puglierin was a guest on the Brussels Sprouts podcast and did what she often does: explain to a non-German audience what is actually going on with the Germans. It was about the German chancellor’s visit to Prague and Germany’s role in the EU since Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Puglierin believes that Olaf Scholz’s […] continue reading →