German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Vladimir Putin’s aggression will not end with Ukraine and poses a direct military threat to all of Europe.
Merz issued a stark warning about the Kremlin’s aims, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin - whom he called a dictator - intends to redraw Europe’s borders and will not stop at the war against Ukraine, DW reported.
Speaking Saturday, December 13, at the Christian Social Union’s party congress in Munich, Merz stressed that the Kremlin leader is pursuing a consistent expansionist strategy. If Ukraine were to fall, he said, the threat would spread to other European countries, with the greatest danger facing nations that were once part of the Soviet Union.
“Putin will not stop. If Ukraine falls, he will not stop,” he said.
He argued that the Kremlin seeks a fundamental revision of Europe’s borders and the de facto restoration of the USSR within its former lines — a major danger for the entire continent.
This is not only about political pressure, he added, but also a direct military risk to countries once under Soviet control. Ignoring the threat, he warned, could lead to severe consequences for Europe as a whole.
The German leader called support for Ukraine a core priority of Europe’s foreign and defense policy. He underscored the need for European unity and strategic coordination with the United Kingdom and urged keeping NATO as the backbone of collective security for as long as possible.
Drawing historical parallels, Merz said the closest analogy to the current moment is 1938, recalling that the Munich Agreement and a policy of appeasement only emboldened Adolf Hitler, leading to the outbreak of World War II a year later.
