Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) sees the stationing of American medium-range missiles in Germany as a contribution to securing peace. The German government's security strategy provides "that we need such weapons to deter war", he said during a visit to the Saxon SPD headquarters in Dresden. Everyone must know that the price of an attack is very high. That is why we have to be prepared militarily. There is a missile threat from Russia. Everything must be done to ensure the safety of the population.
According to Scholz, Germany has lost the ability to defend itself against attacks from the air for decades. That was a big mistake. "Now we are going to change that." At the same time, Scholz emphasized the need for disarmament. However, this must happen on all sides. If we "make ourselves strong" now, we must also signal our willingness to negotiate on arms control.
In a recent survey by the opinion research institute Civey, one in two people in Germany expressed concern about the deployment of missiles. According to the survey, half of Germans fear an escalation of the conflict with Russia if long-range US missiles are stationed in Germany. This is viewed critically, especially in eastern Germany. In Dresden, the Federal Chancellor evaded a question about the reasons for this attitude.
