BERLIN, July 18. /TASS/. By deciding to deploy US long-range missiles in the country, Germany is taking on the role of NATO's main pillar in Europe, a very risky move, and something Russia will respond to, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev said in an interview with TASS.
"The arms race in Europe is already underway," he noted. "The joint statement by the United States and Germany is just another confirmation of Washington's destabilizing policy after the Americans irresponsibly ruined the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty - TASS) regime, which they unilaterally quitted back in 2019," the diplomat went on to say. "Germany, by unquestioningly supporting the White House's policy, is playing the role of NATO's main pillar in Europe, despite the evident military and political risks," Nechayev said. According to him, "these steps will be given an appropriate response from Russia."
"For our part, we continue to explain the destructiveness of the course to undermine the foundations of regional and strategic security," he said. "We see the decision to establish a NATO center in Wiesbaden to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine to be in the same vein," the ambassador added.
Nechayev pointed out that Germany also seeks to play a leading role in Europe in supporting the Kiev regime. "Germany seeks to stake out a leading role in terms of supporting the criminal Kiev regime; it remains the main European sponsor and coordinator of arming the Ukrainian armed forces," the diplomat noted. This track, he said, "is complemented by Berlin's claims to leadership in strengthening NATO's ‘eastern flank,’ including not only the Baltic, but also the northern dimension, becoming the main logistical hub in case of a mass redeployment of NATO troops to Russia's borders."
"The German establishment is now shaking up the military and military-industrial policy and public consciousness," Nechayev pointed out. "What consequences can this lead to? This question should be asked to the German political establishment," he added.
According to the July 10 joint statement released by Washington and Berlin, the United States will begin deploying new longer-range fire capabilities in Germany in 2026. Russia's Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said that these plans made likelier a missile arms race and could lead to uncontrolled escalation.