Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, said last week that Berlin will continue to provide Ukraine with weapons to keep the war with Russia going and gave the public approval for Kyiv to carry out attacks on Russian territory that he called “completely normal.”

Pistorius said in military conflicts it is to be expected that countries being attacked also move “into the opponent’s territory, for example, to cut off supply routes.”

The West once saw these strikes as a clear red line for Russia that would not be tolerated out of fear that Russia would escalate the fight. Germany no longer hides that it is at war with Russia. The nation that killed some 25 million Russians in World War II and destroyed much of Europe is ramping up its military spending in response to the Russian invasion.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s national security council, called Pistorius the German slur “Kraut” after he made the comment.

“He surely envies the glory of the third reich warlords,” Medvedev tweeted. “Well, he actually needs to remember a historical omen. The German who wishes to attack Russia, must be ready for our parade in Berlin.”

Pistorius joined the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the U.S. Air Force base in Ramstein and bragged about Berlin’s support for Kyiv and vowed more. 

“Ukraine can count on Germany as long as it takes,” Pistorius said.

Johannes Stern wrote in WSWS that Germany is “playing an increasingly central role in the escalation of the war.” 

He noted that Pistorius said Germany already provided Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks and 40 Marder armored vehicles. 

Pistorius said they will be equipped “with large packages of material and spare parts and much-needed ammunition.”

Oleksii Makeiev, the Ukrainian ambassador, on Sunday appealed to Germany to send more air defense systems, tanks, and ammunition prior to Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive.

“More air defense systems—like the IRIS-T, Patriot, and Gepard—are needed most urgently,” Makeiev told German outlets, according to DW. “For the planned counteroffensive, we need more armored vehicles, tanks and artillery systems, long-range ammunition in the shortest possible time.”

The report noted that Germany has provided Ukraine with 18 tanks, 34 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, and Patriot and IRIS-T air defense systems.

Pistorius also noted that Berlin has trained Ukrainian troops on how to operate the equipment. He said German forces are helping to protect these tanks from “threats from the air.”

TRENDPOST: Stern wrote in WSWS that it is “becoming increasingly clear that the NATO powers are preparing for a long war of attrition, which will cost hundreds of thousands more lives, can escalate at any time, and is already devouring vast sums of money.”

This is something that The Trends Journal has warned about since the beginning of the war. (See “CHINA CRITICIZES BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR PROMOTING UKRAINE WAR AND ‘THROWING MUD’ ON POTENTIAL PEACE DEAL” 21 Mar 2023, “ESTONIA EXPRESSES CONCERN THAT PEACE COULD BE ACHIEVED IN UKRAINE” 7 Mar 2023, and “GERMANY: NO PEACE PERMITTED, AGAIN AT WAR WITH RUSSIA”7 Mar 2023.)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the Bundestag last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin “currently accepts only one form of negotiation, namely unconditional surrender, allowing him to push through all of his goals.”

Scholz said Germany holds a special responsibility in Europe—as the continent’s biggest economy—to stand up to outside aggression, without naming Russia. He has also become one of the top supporters of Ukraine in its effort to expel Russian forces from the country.

“You can’t negotiate with a gun to your head—except for your own submission. There will be no military victory for Russia, also because we and our partners continue to support Ukraine,” he said.

Scholz has changed his tune since the beginning of the war when he denied sending Ukraine “heavy weapons” and said it was imperative that NATO does not get into a direct military confrontation with Russia,  a “highly armed superpower.”

He called it essential to avoid WWIII. 

But Germany has become pro-war, led by Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister, who let it slip earlier this year when she admitted Europe is at war with Russia. (See “GERMANY’S CHIEF WAR HAWK CONFIRMS CELENTE’S FORECAST: EUROPE IS AT WAR WITH RUSSIA” 31 Jan 2023.)

She said it was “crucial” that European countries remain united and that there is no blame game because “we are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other.”