Last week, the leaders of Great Britain, France and Germany – the E3 countries – reached an agreement during a telephone conversation on their readiness to take action to use frozen Russian funds to support the Ukrainian armed forces. Chancellor Merz emphasized that the aim of these actions is not to prolong the conflict, but to end it. IN In his opinion, Vladimir Putin must realize that Western support for Ukraine will not weaken, but will intensify.
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Accusations against AfD
The plan assumes that Ukraine will start repaying the loan only after Russia starts paying war reparations. Merz assured that Germany, the European Union and NATO do not pose a threat to any country, but Europe should be ready for hybrid war. According to the Chancellor, Russia seeks to destabilize Germany and the entire continent through activities such as sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and espionage. During his speech in the Bundestag, Merz addressed representatives of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), accusing them of cooperation with Russian intelligence structures.
At the same time, the German Chancellor called for the creation of a common European stock exchange, emphasizing the importance of economic openness and opposing protectionism and tariffs. Merz also expressed hope for the quick entry into force of the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which would help Europe conquer new markets.
Conscription dispute
However, there is no shortage of tensions on the German political scene. There is an ongoing dispute in the government coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD regarding the new model of military service. The Social Democrats oppose the proposal to introduce a procedure for selecting conscripts by lot if there are not enough volunteers. This topic is to be discussed in the Bundestag on Thursday.
The European Council summit, during which issues of support for Ukraine will be discussed, among others, will be held on October 23 and 24 in Brussels.
