Europe's ability to defend itself is in poor shape. What to do? In the star-Interview, security expert Christian Mölling talks about past failures, the unpredictability of Trump and Putin and the question of whether nuclear bombs are a realistic solution for Europe.
Mr. Mölling, the European heads of government were shocked by Trump's statements that he would Europe do not protect unconditionally in the event of an alliance. Are they too?
No, not actually. He already made such statements in his last term in office.
In November you have submitted a paper, in which they say that an attack by Putin on NATO member countries cannot be ruled out. Has the danger increased since Trump's comments?
At this point, this man is not president yet, and we will see if he ever becomes one. With all the court cases still pending, that is not certain. At this point in time, the threat of war is not increasing. But we must finally start thinking about how Europe can defend itself on its own, even if it will be completely different than with the Americans.
Listen to the new edition of the stern podcast “Die Lage – International” on the topic. In an interview with Stefan Schmitz, security expert Christian Mölling warns against a debate about Germany's nuclear armament. He says: “It shows what kind of hysterical debate we can have about such topics in Germany – that is far from what is even realistic.”
Trump encouraged Putin to do whatever he wanted. Are we at the mercy of Putin without protection?
That would be an exaggeration. We are already able to organize resistance. A war between Russia and Europe alone would have global consequences even without US support. Neither Putin nor the Europeans operate in an isolated geopolitical space. But we need to start thinking about how a European path of deterrence can work. That means we have to close the gaps that Americans are creating. That will be riskier. In any case, it makes sense to take a look at the arsenal instead of burying your head in the sand. If the Ukrainians had done that, they would have been finished in three days.
