Europe faces a long-term threat as the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine is "no longer a regional war," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned, quoted by DPA, writes BTA.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "long ago switched entirely to a military economy" and the country currently produces as many weapons and ammunition in three months as the entire European Union in a year, Pistorius added.
The minister pointed to Putin's speech from late October, in which the authoritarian Russian leader spoke of a "serious, uncompromising battle for a new world order" and declared that he already considered himself the winner of the war against the Ukrainians.
At the same time, the hybrid war on disinformation and fake news is in full swing, Pistorius said, speaking at an event in the western city of Arnsberg organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is affiliated with the center-left German Social Democratic Party (GSDP). .
"Our security is a fragile value,", Pistorius emphasized. Germany needs to pick up the pace and invest more in its military capacity, he warned.