German right-wing leader raises doubts about NATO membership
The AfD's Tino Chrupalla has questioned the value of Germany's membership in the US-led NATO bloc, stating that the country must consider whether it is "still useful." Read Full Article at RT.com.
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The organization is no longer a defensive alliance, argued Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Chrupalla emphasized that Germany should reassess whether NATO membership “is still useful for us,” stating that the US-led military bloc compels Europe to act primarily in accordance with American interests. He told the German daily Welt on Sunday, “Europe has been forced to implement America’s interests. We reject that.”
He further elaborated, “NATO is currently not a defense alliance. A defense community must accept and respect the interests of all European countries, including Russia’s interests. If NATO cannot ensure that, Germany must consider to what extent this alliance is still useful for us.”
NATO was joined by West Germany in 1955 during the peak of the Cold War. This membership allowed Bonn to focus its resources on rebuilding after World War II and on social welfare, delegating defense responsibilities to the US. However, Lord Ismay, the alliance’s first secretary general, is reported to have stated that NATO’s goal in Europe was “to keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”
While the AfD has not called for a complete withdrawal from NATO, Chrupalla has voiced concerns that the bloc’s aggressive stance toward Russia is “driving a wedge into the continent of Europe” and hindering reconciliation with Moscow, which he believes is essential “to ensure lasting peace and prosperity” across Europe.
With snap elections scheduled for February, the AfD is currently polling at around 18%, ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats at 15%, but trailing the center-right Christian Democratic Union, which stands at 32%. Despite potentially emerging as the largest party post-election, all major German parties have ruled out collaborating with the right-wing AfD.
Earlier this month, the party nominated co-leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor, marking the first time in the AfD's 11-year history that it has proposed a candidate for this position.
After the nomination, Weidel stated her intention to introduce strict immigration controls, reverse Scholz’s climate initiatives, and cease military support for Ukraine. “We want peace in Ukraine,” she asserted. “We do not want any arms supplies, we do not want any tanks, we do not want any missiles.”
Chrupalla concluded in his conversation with Welt that “Russia has won this war,” and that “reality has caught up with those who claim to want to enable Ukraine to win the war.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Chrupalla emphasized that Germany should reassess whether NATO membership “is still useful for us,” stating that the US-led military bloc compels Europe to act primarily in accordance with American interests. He told the German daily Welt on Sunday, “Europe has been forced to implement America’s interests. We reject that.”
He further elaborated, “NATO is currently not a defense alliance. A defense community must accept and respect the interests of all European countries, including Russia’s interests. If NATO cannot ensure that, Germany must consider to what extent this alliance is still useful for us.”
NATO was joined by West Germany in 1955 during the peak of the Cold War. This membership allowed Bonn to focus its resources on rebuilding after World War II and on social welfare, delegating defense responsibilities to the US. However, Lord Ismay, the alliance’s first secretary general, is reported to have stated that NATO’s goal in Europe was “to keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”
While the AfD has not called for a complete withdrawal from NATO, Chrupalla has voiced concerns that the bloc’s aggressive stance toward Russia is “driving a wedge into the continent of Europe” and hindering reconciliation with Moscow, which he believes is essential “to ensure lasting peace and prosperity” across Europe.
With snap elections scheduled for February, the AfD is currently polling at around 18%, ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats at 15%, but trailing the center-right Christian Democratic Union, which stands at 32%. Despite potentially emerging as the largest party post-election, all major German parties have ruled out collaborating with the right-wing AfD.
Earlier this month, the party nominated co-leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor, marking the first time in the AfD's 11-year history that it has proposed a candidate for this position.
After the nomination, Weidel stated her intention to introduce strict immigration controls, reverse Scholz’s climate initiatives, and cease military support for Ukraine. “We want peace in Ukraine,” she asserted. “We do not want any arms supplies, we do not want any tanks, we do not want any missiles.”
Chrupalla concluded in his conversation with Welt that “Russia has won this war,” and that “reality has caught up with those who claim to want to enable Ukraine to win the war.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
