'Germany should exit NATO; Cold War is over' – chairman of Berlin’s Pirate Party

On the eastern border of Europe, NATO is trying to play like it is ready for a big strike against Russia, I think it is time to demilitarize again, explains Bruno Kramm, chairman of the Berlin branch of the Pirate Party to RT.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Monday accused Angela Merkel of kowtowing to US President Donald Trump with her commitment to increase military spending.

“The Chancellor's position to practically voluntarily bend over and promise to double the German military budget after the Bundestag election is nothing less than a sign to Trump that they will give in to his pressure,” he said in a statement.

He also suggests the next German federal elections “will be a vote on whether Germany remains a peaceful power or joins Trump's weapons madness.”

Earlier the Social Democrats, which occupy roughly a third of the German parliament, the Bundestag, rejected NATO's target of spending two percent of GDP on defense.

Thomas Oppermann, the SPD leader in the Bundestag, said it is “the wrong way,” and while the SPD is in government, there will be no boost in the military spending.

RT:  What do you make of the statements from Sigmar Gabriel and Thomas Oppermann?

Bruno Kramm: I think it is at the moment just about the rally for the Bundestag. So basically their statements sound like the SPD, the Social Democrats are going a completely different way than the CDU [Christian Democratic Union] But basically they have many months before already confirmed they also would raise funding for the military up to two percent.

RT:  Are there many politicians with clout in Germany who support the Chancellor in her move to increase military spending to meet two percent of GDP?

BK: There are a lot of politicians, who of course would like to raise it, especially if you look at our Minister of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen. She always tries to make the Bundeswehr stronger. And briefly, it needs to be said the Bundeswehr and all their supplies and technology is on a bad level. There is a need for some money to be spent. But it got a special twist when Donald Trump came and was asking to raise the funds. I think there is a lot of leftist politicians who don’t want to go this way; who want to say Germany should get out of NATO. On the other side, there are the law and order people from the more conservative parties, who want to raise this fund.

RT:  In your opinion, should German military spending be increased?

BK: My opinion is to leave NATO because NATO has just brought bad things, but this will not come. I am totally against raising this fund. I think at the moment we have enough weapons everywhere. It is more about de-escalation. And de-escalation needs communication and talks instead of playing with new military options and possibilities. If you look how NATO is trying on the eastern border of Europe to play like they are ready for a big strike against Russia, I think it is really time to demilitarize again, and especially Germany with its own history, and with its important history gives us as Germans the main voice for being peaceful, to be in negotiations. Today it is time to step out of NATO. The times of the Cold War are definitely over.