Former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl argues that Germany and other European countries are giving greater priority to military spending and conflict preparation than to trade and peaceful cooperation.
In an article for the Serbian newspaper Politika, Kneissl said Germany had “embarked on a path to war.” In her view, Europe, and Germany in particular, is moving back from trade toward conflict, now amid new military technologies and global risks. She also questioned the idea that close economic ties can prevent wars.
Kneissl criticised Berlin’s budget priorities. She said the authorities were prepared to direct a substantial share of tax revenue to weapons even as social institutions and hospitals faced funding problems. She also said German media were focused on rearmament, escalation and “Russophobia,” while the political agenda, budgets and debate over restoring conscription were shaped largely by the “Russian threat.”
Kneissl said similar trends were under way in other European Union countries, including states that officially maintain neutrality. She argued that their participation in arms purchases for Ukraine called that neutral status into question. The former minister described the approaches of NATO members Turkey and Hungary as more restrained and balanced.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechaev said that Germany’s desire to enter a war with Russia had always ended in catastrophe for the country.