Germany's Pistorius: Europe must play bigger security role

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said that Europeans now have a bigger responsibility for Europe's security than ever before, regardless of any US administration.

He made the remarks in an interview with DW during a visit to Lithuania in the first week of US President Donald Trump's second term.

Pistorius also said that he was not worried about the future of NATO, despite derogatory remarks made in the past about the alliance by the new US president.

'NATO is backbone of European security'

Responding to a question as to whether his trip to Lithuania was part of a new German strategy to show Trump that Germany and Europe were being proactive in defense matters, Pistorius said, "It is German strategy, but it's not a new one."

"Since I came into office in January 2023, I have tried to make quite clear every day that we should not look only to the White House and who is going to be the next president, but to do our own homework," he said.

"I mean, one thing is quite clear, NATO is the backbone, the one backbone of European security, Europe's security. And [...] it's in our interest and in our responsibility as Europeans to resolutely strengthen this backbone with capabilities, with forces, with ideas and leadership and money, of course," Pistorius said.

"So, what we are talking about is to underline every day that we have a responsibility and we have a bigger responsibility for Europe's security than ever before," he added.

Pistorius said the 2023 decision to permanently deploy a German Bundeswehr brigade to Lithuania was a recognition of that responsibility. The brigade is to be combat-ready by 2027.

What else did Pistorius say about NATO?

He emphasized that any new American administration would likely shift its focus toward the Indo-Pacific region: "We can't expect the Americans to do more in the Indo-Pacific for the sake of our prosperity and security, and at the same time to do the same like ... they used to do in the past in Europe."

"So, we have to jump in that gap and this is our task," he said.

At the same time, he told DW he was "not really worried about the future of NATO, because I know from all my talks I had in the United States or at the Munich Security Conference that the majority of Americans know quite well what they have in the tradition of Euro-trans-Atlantic partnership."

"They know that we [...] are sitting on the same page, that we have the same interests in very, very many fields," he said.   

Pistorius' remarks come in the wake of numerous comments by Trump that have seemed to call the future of the Western military alliance into doubt, notably complaining that other countries were not shouldering enough of the financial burden.

What did the defense minister say about Ukraine?

On the subject of potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia — which Trump has pledged to bring about — Pistorius added: "We have to talk about a ceasefire and then sustainable peace for Ukraine, and this means Ukraine needs security guarantees by all the other countries."

"Otherwise, it would take only a couple of years, maybe, until Russia attacks again," he said.

Amid an ongoing preelection debate about German financial support for Kyiv, Pistorius said a plan by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to fund the aid by taking new credits was the "best way to finance it because it's the most transparent way."

'Good chance' of maintaining US-European partnership

When asked what Europe could do to maintain US interest in it, Pistorius said the European Union remained "one of the strongest and most important markets in the world."

"We have had a partnership with the US for decades. And in Germany, in Europe everybody wants to proceed with that because we have made lots of very good experiences. And I think on the other side in the United States, they do know it's the same for them," he said.

Pistorius said that if disputes over the trade balance between the two sides were resolved and if Europe made it clear that it would take more defense responsibility for itself, "we have a good chance to stay together, to remain a real reliable partnership."

"And this is what we need even more," he added.

The interview was conducted by DW's chief political correspondent, Nina Haase.

Edited by Natalie Muller

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