Pistorius: Ukraine may become a source of new conflicts in Europe

If Ukraine fails to regain its lost territories and the country is denied membership in NATO, it could become "a constant source of new conflicts in Europe," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a conference organized by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. According to the minister, such a scenario should be taken into account by all countries, including the new US administration.

Pistorius does not believe in the promise of US President-elect Donald Trump to end the Ukrainian conflict within 24 hours. At the same time, he answered in the affirmative to the question whether there is a possibility that Trump will conclude an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin that contradicts the interests of Ukraine and Europe.

"Yes, there is a risk, and I hope that it will not materialize," he said.

At the same time, the minister ruled out the possibility of a Russian attack on NATO territory shortly after Trump's inauguration. According to Pistorius, Putin now has "other concerns," and no one knows what policy Trump will pursue.

During the Republican's first term (January 2017 — January 2021), relations between the United States and Germany were influenced by his demand for other NATO countries to increase defense spending, the head of the German Defense Ministry said. In the summer of 2020, Trump decided to reduce the number of American troops in Germany by half, due to the fact that the country "overdue its payments to NATO" and paid only 1% of GDP.

This year, several representatives of the leadership of Western countries expressed concerns about a possible conflict between NATO and Russia, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Putin has repeatedly said that Russia does not seek to start a war with the alliance: "Russia has no reason, no interest: neither geopolitical interest, nor economic, nor political, nor military — to fight with NATO countries." According to Putin, getting involved in a "global war" does not meet common sense, because it will put humanity on the brink of destruction.

At the same time, Putin stated that NATO was "fighting with Russia with the hands of Ukrainian soldiers" and called the alliance's actions the reason for the outbreak of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Russia opposes Ukraine's accession to NATO, Putin called Kiev's refusal to join the bloc one of the conditions for a peaceful settlement.

On November 10, The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that Trump had held talks with Putin, the Republican advised the Russian president "not to aggravate" the conflict and "privately" made it clear that he would support a peace agreement in which for Russia will remain the territories under its control. Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov called the data on the conversation "pure fiction," RBC reminds.