German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has sharply criticized a speech by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference during which he said that free speech was "in retreat" in Europe. "This is not acceptable, to accuse us [of] not being real Democrats," Pistorius told DW during an exclusive interview.
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00:00The German defense minister Boris Pistorius held a speech at the Munich
00:04Security Conference in which he fiercely criticized the statements made by the
00:08vice president of the United States, JD Vance, and he's now joining us here in
00:14Munich. Boris Pistorius, thank you very much. You held a completely different
00:18speech than the one that you'd intended to hold. You wrote it... At least the first
00:24part. So you criticized JD Vance essentially saying that he was painting
00:31a distorted picture of democracy and you called it unacceptable. Aren't you worried
00:36that you're making life more difficult for Europe which will now have to talk
00:41to the Trump administration including JD Vance? I mean Vice President Vance
00:47emphasized the relevance of democracy and the freedom of opinion and I reacted
00:53to his opinion with my opinion especially because I'm convinced, deeply
00:57convinced, as a Democrat in Germany and Europe that our democracies are even
01:02more stable and good as ever before. Everybody in Germany and in Europe is
01:09able and is allowed to say his opinion wherever and whenever he wants but it's
01:14about his opinion about democracies and I said no this is not acceptable to
01:20accuse us for not being real Democrats and I had to make that clear as a
01:25representative of a German government here in Munich. And are we seeing the
01:30true Zeitgeist Inventor here at this Munich Security Conference? We've got the
01:34US and the Europeans fighting on the open stage so isn't this the seismic
01:40shift? I think we should calm and cool a little bit down. I mean there was a
01:45controversy on the open stage which I didn't start and I answered in a polite
01:51way I think but clear and this is what our friends in the United States of
01:56America understand pretty well and this is a proof and the best symbol for
02:01democracy all over the world that we can say it as each other our opinion and I
02:06don't I'm not afraid that the relationship between the US and Europe
02:11and Germany will take any damage out of that because it is too strong for that.
02:16And also lots of speakers have said that there are things where the US and Europe
02:21don't differ that much so that there are points that people could sit down and
02:26talk about together and but is something going to come out of Munich isn't this
02:31the opportunity that you would need to seize to not just describe the problem
02:36but actually act? Well we are on the same on the same page to be frank I
02:42always admitted during my being in office in January 23 that Europe and
02:47Germany that we have to do that we have to do more that we have to contribute
02:50more for our own security especially with regard to the shift of focus of the
02:56United States which is to be expected and announced now to the Indo-Pacific so
03:01that's quite clear that we have to do more there's no discussion about that
03:05what I suggested yesterday in Brussels is to work together on a joint road map
03:10to make it possible to orchestrate that burden shifting for the years to come by
03:16avoiding at the same time critical capability capability gaps in meanwhile
03:22because this is a challenge we have to face it's quite clear the US will do
03:27less in the years to come and we have to do more. This roadmap why didn't the
03:32Americans propose it if they say that they are going to do less surely they
03:36have to inform their allies just what they're going to do less when by? We are
03:41all professionals and we met yesterday the day before yesterday the first time
03:46in Brussels we made acquaintance of each other Pete Hexet and me and others and of
03:50course we had the first first place to to discuss the main issues and then we
03:55came to that point and then I made that proposal it could have come from Pete
03:59Hexet too it doesn't matter. And the Europeans are very clear that they do
04:03want to sit at that negotiating table what can Germany bring to that table?
04:10It is not about what can we bring to the table as Germany it's about the role of
04:15Europeans in those negotiations I think one thing should be quite clear
04:21if we have a peace in Ukraine it has to be guaranteed it has to be
04:28security guaranteed sorry and somebody has to achieve them to to guarantee
04:36those guarantees and the US expect us to do that at least in a central role fine
04:43so far but to do that we have to we need to be involved in the negotiations about
04:49to peace we are expected to ensure afterwards so that is quite clear
04:54therefore we have to talk with the Americans and with others in which kind
04:59in which structure we can take part it doesn't mean 27 member states it's a
05:03it's a negotiating table this is unrealistic but any other way can be
05:07imaginable too. Is NATO membership off the table for you for Ukraine?
05:12Well as I already said earlier I consider it as a mistake to take it off
05:19the table before starting the negotiations as well as the issue of
05:23territory questions but anyway Donald Trump decided to take it off the table
05:28and now we have to see how the negotiations when they finally will
05:31start if they didn't start yet will go with in with regard to that topic or not
05:36and in the meantime you're continuing supporting Ukraine in its attempts to
05:42defend itself against Russian aggression parts of the German government promised
05:46Ukraine another three billion euros in aid including yourself when is Ukraine
05:51going to get that money? Well nobody promised anything we planned a three
05:56three billion package with which didn't get which didn't which for which we
06:01didn't find a proper financing way because we couldn't couldn't find a
06:07conclusion between the parties I think after the election 23rd of February we
06:12will find a solution for the one way to solve it on for the other. Yeah that's
06:18true you you always said you were hopeful that Ukraine would get that
06:22money but of course we're also facing elections here in Germany are you going
06:26to stay on as a defense minister? This decision will up will be up to the
06:32voters on Sunday next week and afterwards we talk about coalition's
06:37content of the coalition and personnel. Would you like to? Everybody knows that I
06:43love my job but still it's up to the voters. Boris Pistorius thank you very much