German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke in favor of holding a broad discussion on plans to place American long-range missiles on German territory. On Monday, he said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the topic needs serious discussion so that society can come to a balanced position.
“We must clearly understand how serious the situation is: on the one hand, Russia is taking an aggressive position, which creates a new threat to Europe, on the other hand, we feel a deficit of defense capabilities, which we can compensate only with the help of our American allies, until we develop our own systems weapons,” Pistorius said.
After the NATO summit in Washington, the US and German governments announced plans from 2026 to deploy medium-range missiles with conventional warheads capable of reaching targets in Russia in Germany. These missiles may include Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 km, SM-6 missiles and new hypersonic systems.
However, Pistorius’ stance has drawn criticism even from members of his own Social Democratic Party (SPD). Some party members, including parliamentary faction leader Rolf Mützenich, warned of the risk of military escalation. Others, like Bundestag member Ralf Stegner, have also spoken out against the plan, calling for more grassroots participation in the debate.
Despite the criticism, Pistorius has said his duty is to protect the public from external threats, and he received significant support after announcing the plan at a NATO summit. The minister also emphasized the importance of discussions within the party, but emphasized that there is no strong opposition to this initiative in the SPD.
