German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Europeans underestimate the threat from Russia. According to him, Vladimir Putin’s goals go far beyond a military victory over Ukraine and are aimed at destabilizing the political order and undermining democracy across the entire European continent.
Merz made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg on 19 October. “My biggest concern is the underestimation of Russia’s influence on our societies. Russia is moving towards destabilizing the entire political order of our European continent,” the chancellor stressed.
He noted that many people, including in Germany itself, still do not take this threat seriously enough: “They do not see what Russia’s real goal is. It is not only about territorial gains in Ukraine. They fear democracy. They fear open societies. They fear the success of European integration.”
The statement came against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and increasingly frequent incidents that European authorities link to Moscow’s hybrid activities. Earlier, the German government held Russia responsible for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in August. According to Berlin’s assessment, such acts of sabotage are becoming more frequent.
Merz also confirmed that Germany, together with its European allies, continues to finance Ukraine’s defense without American funds for the purchase of weapons. “This is truly a major burden on our budgets; this is truly a major undertaking for the European Union. But we are doing it and will try to continue doing it until this terrible war ends,” he said.
The chancellor’s statement is consistent with his previous warnings. In October, Merz criticized representatives of the far-right and far-left in the Bundestag for deliberately downplaying the Russian threat and spreading disinformation. He has repeatedly pointed out that Russia’s readiness for escalation is growing not only toward Ukraine and its Eastern European neighbors, but also toward Germany itself.
Merz has repeatedly emphasized that if Moscow cannot be contained in Ukraine, the Russian war machine may sooner or later turn against Europe and NATO.
