Alice Weidel, the head of the surging far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) accused Merz’s conservatives of war-mongering for even considering the idea of ground troops, slamming it as “dangerous and irresponsible”.
Even Merz’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned sending troops to Ukraine “would probably overwhelm us”.
There is unease in Germany over troop deployments given its Nazi past and more recent deployments to Afghanistan and Mali that were widely seen as failures. There is also a backlash against spending billions of euros on military aid for Ukraine when Germany’s own economy is struggling.
Honestly, for Europe the choice is to fight Russian in Ukraine now, or fight them in other European countries later. No sane person wants war, but if Russia succeeds in Ukraine it’s only going to want more. Much better to fight them in someone else’s country while they’re struggling, than let them gain control over that country and it’s population and resources, which it can then mobilize for further conquest.
Your comment contains a lot of oversimplifications:
Many experts call for the pursuit of diplomatic pathways out of the stalemate to avoid a protracted war and further escalation. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has published numerous analytical pieces (e.g., by analyst Eugene Rumer) emphasizing that without realistic diplomatic negotiations about Europe’s future security architecture, the conflict risks turning into a frozen, yet smoldering phase for years to come.
https://www.cfr.org/article/neutrality-alternative-ukraines-membership-nato
An alternative scenario is a strategy that involves not “fighting the Russians in Ukraine” but maximally strengthening Europe’s own defensiveness and supporting Ukraine to strengthen its position in potential negotiations. Dr Barbara Kunz and Dan Smith from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), have noted that the EU and NATO’s long-term strategy should focus on scaling up their own defense production and capabilities, not just on supplying arms to Ukraine.
https://www.sipri.org/commentary/essay/2024/nato-new-need-some-old-ideas
Russian hasn’t done a single thing that Europe didn’t find entirely acceptable when it was being done by themselves, the US, or Israel.
So you agree Russia is doing absolutely awful things?
Yeah, but nothing that the West hadn’t already normalised. And still not as awful as what Germany is supporting in Gaza right now
I totally agree, don’t listen to the tankies here! That’s why every European should sign up for Ukraine’s foreign legion as soon as possible! Let me know folks if you need any help with that.
Marvel brain logic
After 3½ years of fighting Russia hasn’t even taken all of the Donbas yet, never mind Ukraine. They couldn’t continue on invading Europe even if they wanted to, which they don’t.
This kind of confusion is what happens when you misunderstand why the war started in the first place. Previously.
Removed by mod
😂