Key Takeaways
- The US wants to increase Europe’s defense spending and purchases of American weapons while engaging in talks with Russia.
- Germany’s AfD party welcomes the talks but is concerned about the potential impact on European defense spending.
- The increased military expenditures could lead to a shift in the balance of power in Europe, potentially leaving Germany and Western Europe at a disadvantage.
Washington: Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party welcomes direct Moscow-Washington talks but deems it important to keep in mind that the US wants to increase Europe’s defense spending as well as purchases of American weapons, AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla told RIA Novosti.
“We have been demanding peace through diplomacy for three years. That is why such a rapprochement confirms our position, and we accept it with approval. It should be borne in mind, however, that the Americans are pursuing their own interests. Ultimately, they want us to increase our military expenditures anyway and to buy weapons mainly from the US,” Chrupalla said.
While welcoming the fact of Russian-US contacts, the politician said that if the two reach an agreement for mutually beneficial cooperation, Germany and Western Europe may be left at a loss because they are not present at the negotiating table.
“When [German Defense Minister Boris] Pistorius says that we do not want to be sitting at a cat’s [not-so-important] table, it makes me laugh—they don’t even sit at a table like this, and they’re actually in a mousetrap,” Chrupalla added.
