Russia's war machine will turn against NATO sooner or later if nobody stops it, German chancellor Friedrich Merz warned in Münster, German media report. He made the remark while handing NATO this year's International Peace Prize of Westphalia.
Merz was only meant to give a speech honouring the prize winner, but he used the moment to spell out Berlin's stance on Russia in terms he had never used before. He warned that the threat from Moscow is growing and spoke of Germany's duty to respond.
He said "the horror of war" could return to Germany.
Merz went after the Alternative for Germany party directly, along with those he said are pulling its strings. He called them "Russian figures working behind the scenes" and said Germany would not let itself be torn apart.
Before the ceremony, the chancellor visited the 1st German-Netherlands Corps in Münster, walking into the unit's main building alongside Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte.
Two soldiers with camouflage paint on their faces met him there, with drones laid out on a table in front of them. They told their guests how fast, how long and how far the drones can fly, and Merz asked follow-up questions.
"Thank you very much for doing this, and good luck," the chancellor told the soldiers by the drones.
Since July this year, the corps has guarded NATO's eastern flank in Estonia and Latvia. Merz called this role "a key contribution to our security".