The head of the German Defense Ministry, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, is known for her anti-Russian position, so she could have introduced a personal element in her statement, distorting the state position. On Monday, October 25, the former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, ex-Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ordzhonikidze told Izvestia.
"The German Defense Minister is known for her anti-Russian attitude. I do not exclude that her position may not be shared by other members of the government, perhaps that is why the reaction was from the Russian Ministry of Defense, and not the Foreign Ministry. The Minister of Defense, on the one hand, represents the military component of the state, and it would probably be wrong to think that she acts independently of other members of the government," he said.
At the same time, according to the diplomat, it cannot be ruled out that the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs may have different approaches on some issues of foreign policy. The expert also did not rule out that Kramp-Karrenbauer introduced a personal element, distorting the state position.
"Either the Prime Minister, in this case the Chancellor, or the Minister of Foreign Affairs can make statements on behalf of the government. The Minister of Defense, of course, also represents the state. I do not exclude that she was specifically given the opportunity to talk about it so that it would not be 100% obvious that we are talking about the position of the state," Ordzhonikidze suggested.
In any case, the decision on the use of certain means, including weapons, is not made by the German Defense Minister, the diplomat concluded.
Earlier in the day, it became known that the German military attache was summoned to the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense. He was handed a note in connection with the statement of the head of the German Defense Ministry on the containment of the Russian Federation.
On October 21, Kramp-Karrenbauer said that the North Atlantic Alliance should show Russia its readiness to use weapons if necessary. According to her, no state should consider the possibility of attacking the alliance's partners.
According to the minister, Russia allegedly constantly violates the airspace of the Baltic states and in the Black Sea. She believes that special attention should be paid to the protection of these borders.
On the same day, Kramp-Karrenbauer, answering the question whether NATO is thinking about scenarios of deterring Russia for the Baltic and Black Sea regions, including in the airspace with nuclear weapons, said that it is necessary to make it clear to Moscow that Western countries are ready to use such means.
According to military expert Vladislav Shurygin, these statements are ordinary and were made for "domestic consumption". As part of the new defense strategies, Western politicians thus demonstrate that they are ready to confront Russia, he explained.
