The key facts

  • Merz named Russia's influence on society as the main security threat to Germany
  • According to him, hybrid attacks happen daily but are underestimated
  • The Chancellor said Ukraine's capitulation is unacceptable, calling it the capitulation of Europe

The Chancellor's main concern

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that his biggest concern at the moment is not the economy, not the US and not China, but Russia's influence on society. His words were reported by Reuters. The speech took place on October 21 at the Berlin Global Dialogue economic forum in Berlin, DW reports.

Accusations of hybrid attacks

Merz accused Russia of a 'fundamental strike' against the political order in Europe that took shape after the Cold War. According to him, this refers to subversive actions, hybrid attacks on communication systems and attempts to destabilize the situation in Germany. The Chancellor claims that such attacks happen daily, but the scale of the threat in the country is still underestimated. He called disinformation and hybrid attacks the biggest security threat to Germany.

On support for Ukraine

Merz also said that Ukraine's capitulation is unacceptable. 'We support Ukraine not in order to prolong the war. But Ukraine's capitulation, especially an unconditional one, is unacceptable, because it means the capitulation of all of us,' Reuters quoted him as saying. He emphasized that Germany and Europe are ready for negotiations at any time, and Berlin will continue to help Kyiv.

Context: the positions of Kyiv and Washington

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on October 18 that steps are being taken aimed at pushing Ukraine toward capitulation, although he refrained from calling this a clear goal of the American partners. 'It is hard for me to believe that our American partners believe that the war can be ended faster at Ukraine's expense. But that is how it looks,' he said. He also compared the recent actions of Donald Trump's administration to pushing Kyiv toward surrender. Trump, in turn, accused Zelensky of unwillingness to end the war and recommended that he hand over the negotiations to someone else.