How should Germany and Europe react to Putin’s war? Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer proposes a dual strategy. The military also needs to be strengthened.
Former foreign minister Joschka Fischer has warned of further invasion thoughts from the Russian President Wladimir Putin warned. “He wants all of them Ukrainebecause in his world view that is the prerequisite for regaining Russian hegemony in Eastern Europe,” Fischer told the German Press Agency.
Fischer gave Putin’s frequently expressed regret about the collapse of the Soviet Union as the reason. From Fischer’s point of view, this is “the core of his worldview”. Accordingly, the Russian desire for expansion must continue to be taken seriously. As a consequence, the West must react both decisively and cautiously. “In this respect, I think NATO’s approach is very correct to say: not an inch of NATO territory, but we will not seek a direct military confrontation on Ukrainian soil.”
“It won’t work without military strength”
That’s also why they react European Union correctly on Putin’s war so far. Fischer sees the EU on the way to bundling foreign and security policy more closely in the future. “It won’t work without military strength. In this respect, the decisions that the Bundestag will make are of crucial importance. The experiences that are now being made are very, very important for the emergence of a new EU.”
From 1998 to 2005, Fischer was the first foreign minister of the Greens under the then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD). He then retired from active politics and works, among other things, as a consultant and lobbyist.