Mehr Ausgaben für Verteidigung, keine höheren Schulden, keine höheren Steuern - „that is like, I don’t know how to say this, the eierlegende Wollmilchsau“, sagt Verteidigungsminister Pistorius in Washington. Dreht sich zur Übersetzerin. Die weiß auch keinen englischen Ausdruck.

Boris Pistorius making clear that he is not a fan of the German debt brake - and that he hopes an exception will solve the sustainability problem of Germany’s 2% pledge - “discussions in the weeks to come”

Extremely impressed by German defense minister Pistorius eloquently engaging in Q&A, even spontaneous humor, in nearly flawless and confident English. He never studied abroad and acquired the language on the side.

One can always find something to criticize, but his priorities were quite clear, it’s obviously Ukraine. And this is much better than Macron’s “not be drawn into a Taiwan conflict”.

“A change in Zeitgeist” - defense minister Pistorius in DC defends Germany’s Zeitenwende - and stresses that Germany is also willing to make a contribution to the Indo-Pacific.

My latest paper CSIS with Max Bergmann. We argue that the EU needs a Permanent Fiscal Capacity and a Fiscal Union to face the challenges posed by the new economic and geopolitical landscape. And we put forward practical proposals to achieve it csis.org/analysis/europ…

German automobile manufacturers like #VW or #MercedesBenz lobbying Berlin and Brussels against protective tariffs on imported Chinese EVs is like turkeys voting for Christmas 🇩🇪🇨🇳

Boris Pistorius kündigt in Washington gerade an, dass die Bundesrepublik 3 HIMARS System von den USA kauft und in die #Ukraine liefern wird. t-online

'Der Zug muss jetzt in die andere Richtung gehen' Boris Pistorius zu burden shifting, Schuldenbremse und möglichen Verteidigungsausgaben, die über das NATO Zwei Prozent Ziel hinausgehen. t-online

Pistorius legt einen Kranz nieder am Grabmal des unbekannten Soldaten auf dem Nationalfriedhof in Arlington. Es ist der erste Termin des deutschen Verteidigungsministers bei seinem Besuch in Washington. t-online

Telling chart from The Economist.

The number of vetoes in the #UNSC in 2024 so far is already approaching the highest number of vetoes *in a whole year* in the post-Cold War era. There will be more.

economist.com/international/…

👇👇 German defence minister Pistorius announces in DC the near-term delivery of three HIMARS to Ukraine which Berlin bought from US for 30 mio €.

China's direct exports to Russia have plateaued, but that doesn't mean much. Exports to Kazakhstan (black) are up 30% from 2023 and are up 20% to Kyrgyzstan (red). As Western scrutiny grows, China just sends more to Russia via Central Asia. China remains Russia's biggest enabler.

“Among Russian elites, the prevailing belief is that only a military defeat or a prolonged, severe financial crisis could halt their country’s momentum. Right now, neither seems imminent.”
trib.al/pRXf6WM

Pistorius setzt auf GG Art 87a. (1) „Der Bund stellt Streitkräfte zur Verteidigung auf. Ihre zahlenmäßige Stärke u. die Grundzüge ihrer Organisation müssen sich aus dem Haushaltsplan ergeben“. Verfassungsrang einsatzbereite BW = Ausnahme Schuldenbremse 🫵
spiegel.de/politik/deutsc…

Nobody in Moscow is looking for an exit strategy from the war or an opportunity to initiate dialogue with the West; nobody is concerned with persuading the West to ease sanctions; nobody is hungry for compromise with Ukraine, at least under its current leadership. There is no…

Our defense and security cooperation with the US is becoming increasingly important. It’s concrete and creates benefits for both sides: Germany has ordered nearly $23 billion worth of weapons and equipment for the Bundeswehr. We have about 380 contracts with US defense companies.

One of the German nationals arrested on charges of spying for China had been employed by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the publicly-funded trade promotion body

Elizabeth Cheung

scmp.com/news/hong-kong…

Our next episode of Council on Foreign Relations Why It Matters drops tomorrow and it is a special one - I got to pepper Dan Kurtz-Phelan editor of Foreign Affairs and host of the Foreign Affairs Interview podcast with all my burning questions. Stay tuned for this WIMxFAI crossover!