Chancellor Scholz calls for “massive production” of weapons
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for prudence after the latest words of former US President Donald Trump, warning about the insecurity of Europe: “No one should play with the security of Europe,” he said at a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Despite the censure of Trump’s words, Chancellor Scholz has taken the opportunity in recent days to visit an arms factory in Untelüss in northern Germany. There he spoke of the facility as a “signal” for the continent to follow: “We must move away from the manufacturing industry and focus on large-scale arms production”, as it is “an urgent necessity”.
In a reversal of course, the German leader explained that “however harsh this reality may be, we do not live in times of peace”, in a clear reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “imperial ambitions”. “Those who want peace must be able to dissuade potential aggressors”, he said during his press conference.
Calling for “closer” cooperation in Brussels, Scholz said that “a strong defence requires a solid industrial base. This will see the light of day if we Europeans regroup our orders […] and give industry prospects for the next ten, twenty or thirty years. His new proposal is a long-term one, and has been applauded by his main opposition, the CDU.
