German Ministry of Defense advocates for negotiations with Russia 'from a position of strength'
Germany is interested in a meaningful relationship with Russia, but "from a position of strength," German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said at a meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on International Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense in Strasbourg.
"Our position is such: that we want meaningful relations with Russia, but we know that this should happen from a position of strength. It should be clear that we are interested in the resolution of conflicts at the negotiating table. Conflicts should be resolved only at the negotiating table, and in no other way," said the Minister, in response to a question regarding how Germany assesses the "threat coming from Russia".
At a summit in Warsaw in July 2016, the alliance decided to deploy multinational battalions in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. Speaking about Lithuania, the Minister stressed that military personnel from Germany, Norway and the Netherlands are serving there. According to her, Germany understands the importance of protecting the eastern borders, and as such is convinced of the need to support "friends in the east."