Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized remarks made by the German Defense Minister at the NATO Council Ministerial meeting held in Brussels on October 21-22. On October 21, Kramp-Karrenbauer said in an interview for Deutschlandfunk radio that NATO must be ready to use military means against Russia, including atomic weapons, if necessary.
“The lack of interest in a serious dialogue on de-escalation with Moscow was displayed by German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer ahead of the NATO meeting. She underscored that NATO must show its readiness to use its Armed Forces against Russia. We hope that Germany has sensible leaders, capable of holding its Minister from the ill-advised desire to test the reliability of our Armed Forces,” she noted.
