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Germany says new security strategy will respond to Russia
"Russia's actions in Ukraine fundamentally change the security ... The new strategy would mean theGerman army would in future focus not ...
Germany Says Russian Moves Triggering Military Shift
Bloomberg-3 hours ago
Bloomberg-3 hours ago
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(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s defense chief said Russia’s use of unconventional military force to exploit its dominance over former Soviet states will have “far-reaching consequences” as Berlin shifts its security strategy in coming years.
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Germany must adjust its response to Russia’s “hybrid conduct of war” in Ukraine. She spoke as German military and government officials began drafting a new blueprint of the nation’s geopolitical challenges, to be published in a “white book” next year.
“We should have no illusions,” von der Leyen said in a speech in Berlin on Tuesday. “The Kremlin’s new policy began long before the crisis in Ukraine and will occupy us for a very long time.”
As German leaders call for a more assertive role for Europe’s largest economy, von der Leyen said Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government should take a sober look at Russian power. Even as Germany spearheaded European Union sanctions on Russia and helped boost NATO’s presence on its eastern flank, it has rejected calls in the U.S. to ship arms to Ukraine’s military in its fight against pro-Russian separatists.
“What is our reaction to the attempt to establish a geopolitical projection of power through military violence as form of influence?” she said.
Germany, the EU and the U.S. accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of supporting Ukrainian rebels with personnel and weaponry in an attempt to destabilize the region. The Kremlin denies it’s involved.
“It’s this unconventional orchestration of multi-faceted elements of a hybrid conduct of war that’s fundamentally changing the security architecture of the continent and for which we have to consider our response,” von der Leyen said.
A cease-fire in eastern Ukraine is being ignored in the the strategic rail hub of Debaltseve, where heavy fighting risks undermining a fragile peace accord sealed after all-night talks last week in Belarus. Upholding the truce requires transparency “as the minimum condition,” von der Leyen said.
Germany’s Defense Ministry has published regular white books since 1969 to outline strategic agenda. The last to be published, in 2006, detailed military priorities within the EU and NATO. Since then, an overhaul of the country’s military has included scrapping conscription.
To contact the reporters on this story: Birgit Jennen in Berlin at bjennen1@bloomberg.net; Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net Leon Mangasarian, Paul Abelsky
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BERLIN Tue Feb 17, 2015 9:46am EST
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will overhaul its security strategy in coming years in response to Russian attempts to use "power politics and military force" to assert its interests, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.
Germany, which 70 years after World War Two is seeking to assume a more assertive global role, has been at the center of efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine and led a push within Europe to impose sanctions against Moscow.
"Russia's actions in Ukraine fundamentally change the security architecture in Europe," said von der Leyen as she opened a debate on a new security strategy to be outlined in a "white book" to be published next year.
It will detail the main principles underlying German policy for the years ahead.
Germany's new policy must take account of the Kremlin's attempt "to establish geo-strategic power politics and military force as a form of asserting their interests", said von der Leyen.
"The Kremlin's new policy began long before the crisis in Ukraine and will occupy us for a very very long time to come," she added.
The new strategy would mean the German army would in future focus not only on missions far afield, for example in Afghanistan, but also become more involved in strengthening NATO's defenses. Germany is already helping to boost NATO's presence in eastern Europe.
The new principles, which will supersede a white book from 2006, will also take account of other developments such as the rise of the militant Islamic State group, the Arab Spring, focus on climate change and cyber attacks, said von der Leyen.
In a further sign of how Germany is responding to the way President Vladimir Putin is steeringRussia, Germany's foreign ministry is investing millions of euros in a new institute devoted to the study of post-Soviet states.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Noah Barkin)
Published on Feb 17, 2015
CCTV shows the moment an exploding manhole cover hit children, after a boy threw a lit firecracker into a sewer - triggering the blast. Report by Claire Lomas.
Published on Feb 17, 2015
Pro-Russian rebels bombarded government troops they they say are encircled in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday and a plan for both sides to pull back their heavy guns stalled, pushing a fragile peace deal closer to collapse.
A Reuters witness near the front line said artillery rounds rocked the town of Debaltseve every five seconds and black smoke rose skywards, despite a truce that has eased fighting in many areas since the European-brokered deal took effect on Sunday.
The rebels said they had capt…
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2015/02/17/uk...
A Reuters witness near the front line said artillery rounds rocked the town of Debaltseve every five seconds and black smoke rose skywards, despite a truce that has eased fighting in many areas since the European-brokered deal took effect on Sunday.
The rebels said they had capt…
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2015/02/17/uk...
Published on Feb 17, 2015
Dramatic footage shows the moment a TV news crew were forced to run from a huge explosion in eastern Ukraine. Report by Claire Lomas.
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