The Germans “will not accept third parties interfering in favor“ of the far-right party “Alternative for Germany“ (AfD) a week before the parliamentary elections. This was stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Munich, commenting on the statement of the US Vice President J.D. Vance, reported DPA and Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
“The direction that our democracy will take is determined only by ourselves. We and no one else!“, said Scholz and expressed regret for the statement of Vance, who criticized the isolation of the AfD in German politics.
“This is not done – "especially among friends and allies," the Chancellor stressed.
Sholz recalled that members of the AfD downplay Germany's Nazi past and the crimes of Nazism. He pointed out that the promise of "never again," given by Vance himself during his visit to the Dachau concentration camp memorial, could not be combined with support for the AfD.
The Chancellor said that Berlin would continue to buy American military equipment, but stressed the need for a "strong European arms industry." He added that Germany would not give up on transatlantic defense cooperation.
Support for Ukraine and warnings to Russia
Sholz stressed that peace could not be achieved without guaranteeing Ukrainian sovereignty. Kiev must have armed forces capable of repelling any new Russian attack, which will require significant financial, material and logistical efforts. According to him, European and transatlantic partners will play a key role in this process.
“Neither Russia's victory nor the collapse of Ukraine will lead to peace“, Scholz stressed. He assured that Berlin would not support any peace agreement imposed on Kiev and categorically rejected any separation of European and US security.
According to him, Russia is already escalating the situation through dangerous actions against NATO countries, including sabotage of submarine cables, arson, disinformation and attempts to manipulate democratic elections.