German Defense Minister Warns of Confrontation in the Baltic Sea

2025-11-19 08:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called on European allies at a security conference in Berlin to rapidly expand the continent's defense capabilities, citing the growing threat posed by Russia.

"The Baltic Sea, which has long been considered a bridge between European countries, is increasingly turning into a confrontation zone," Pistorius said. According to him, it is Putin's testing ground for European response capabilities. He cited damaged underwater cables, airspace violations and drone flights as examples.

"We can no longer talk about coincidences"

"We can no longer talk about coincidence. It's a strategy. These are signals," Pistorius said. "Moscow is already carrying out hybrid attacks against all of us with cyberattacks, espionage, sabotage and disinformation," he said.

The German politician signed an agreement with his Swedish counterpart, Pål Jonsson, to strengthen military cooperation with the NATO member country. Sweden is the partner country for this year's summit.

During the conference, Dutchman Martin Bonn, former deputy commander of the 10th Armored Division, was promoted to the rank of major general. He will now be the deputy commander of the German combat troops, a new development in the deepened cooperation.

NATO general calls for reforms

NATO General Ingo Gerhartz called on Germany to redouble its efforts to deter a possible Russian attack. To successfully counter and prevent increasingly frequent hybrid threats and attacks, it is essential to carry out a fundamental reform of the procurement system, quickly implement the new military service and strengthen defense readiness throughout society, Gerhartz said at the start of the conference.

"Germany as a whole has not yet reached the strategic maturity required in our time," said the German general, who commands the operational headquarters ("Allied Joint Force Command") in Brunssum, the Netherlands.

"If Germany wants to be an advanced player in security matters, the whole country must understand that investments in capacities alone are not enough." Gerhartzi referred to the dispute over military service, which lasted for months and has now been resolved.

How to deal with attacks in the gray area

He warned that the credibility of the defense alliance must not be damaged. NATO cannot regulate intimidation for Germany, but it must be able to "intimidate through Germany."

There is also a need to discuss how deterrence might work in the future in the so-called gray area of ??hybrid attacks and under the mutual support clause of Article 5. Gerhartz urged, "we need to reconsider our stance on deterrence."

Politicians, military representatives and economic experts will discuss strengthening defense in Europe at the Berlin Security Conference until Wednesday. At the two-day meeting, more than 140 experts will speak and participate in panel discussions. The experts will analyze how various threats to NATO and the EU can be addressed. /DW