“A terrible war is raging in Europe. It is a war that directly threatens our freedom and security,” Merz said.
According to him, Russia continues its aggressive war against Ukraine with unchanged intensity.
He noted that for the fourth year in a row, Ukrainians have been celebrating the New Year in difficult conditions – “without electricity, under a hail of missiles, in fear for friends and relatives.”
“And this is not a distant war that does not concern us. After all, we see more and more clearly that the Russian invasion [в Украину] was and remains part of a plan against all of Europe. Germany also faces daily sabotage, espionage and cyber attacks,” the German Chancellor emphasized.
Context
Over the past years, the political and military leadership of European countries have several times announced the threat of a Russian attack. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Russia could attack NATO in 2029. Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also spoke about the threat from the Russian Federation.
NATO is preparing for a possible Russian attack on its eastern flank, Bild wrote, citing a secret document.
On June 22, 2025, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that the Russians were “preparing new military operations in Europe.”
On August 2, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, said that the Russian Federation is rolling out the most ambitious program since 1980, within which it plans to spend about $1.1 trillion on rearmament until 2036.
On November 6, NATO stated that Russia, as an aggressor country, will remain a threat to the Alliance even after the end of the war in Ukraine.
In early December, the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the aggressor country of the Russian Federation is ready “right now” for war with Europe. He threatened that “if Europe suddenly wants to start a war and starts it,” then “a situation could very quickly arise in which we will have no one to negotiate with.”
