Germany open to sending troops for Ukraine buffer zone, says minister

Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius expressed openness to sending German soldiers to Ukraine to help secure a demilitarised zone if a ceasefire agreement with Russia is reached.

In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung published Saturday, Pistorius said “We’re the largest NATO partner in Europe. We’ll obviously have a role to play,” adding that the issue would be discussed at the appropriate time.

Pistorius also advocated for Germany to target defence spending of around three percent of GDP. His remarks come as US President-elect Donald Trump pushes NATO members to allocate five percent of their national output to defence, a proposal dismissed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as excessive.

Trump, set to take office on Monday, claimed during his campaign that he could end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours. However, his team has since suggested that resolving the conflict may take more time.

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Discussions could nevertheless start soon, notably with a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Ukraine is not currently in a position of sufficient strength to start any peace negotiations with Russia, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte said on Monday.

Pistorius said Russia was currently occupying “18 or 19 percent of Ukrainian territory”. But despite nearly three years of war, it had “not gained more” than that and had suffered “extensive losses in its own army” in the attempt.

The United States claimed recently that Moscow had lost nearly 1,500 men a day in November.

Asked about the contribution Germany should make towards NATO defence spending, Pistorius said: “We should be talking more about three percent than two.”

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Germany currently devotes around two percent of its GDP to defence.

On January 9, Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuffed Trump’s demand for NATO members to raise defence spending to five percent of GDP.

For Germany, that would mean finding an additional 150 billion euros every year, he said.

With inputs from agencies