Dubovy reassured

Threats from Putin: “Don’t believe them”

(Bild: krone.tv )

The US decision to station long-range missiles in Germany is causing tensions worldwide. The Kremlin is fuming with rage and is openly threatening to target European capitals with Russian missiles. But how real is the danger? krone.tv spoke to Eastern Europe expert Alexander Dubowy about the explosive situation.

"This deployment has been planned for a long time and comes as no surprise," explains Dubowy. "The missiles are not due to be operational in Wiesbaden until 2026 and are conventional, i.e. not nuclear weapons." According to the expert, NATO needs to close a defense gap. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the missile deployment as a "step towards the Cold War". "Russia itself has stationed nuclear-powered missiles in Kaliningrad and announced tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. These missiles are intended to deter NATO and reduce the likelihood of a conflict," says Dubowy.

War will decide Europe's future
How the war ends will have a lasting impact on security in Europe. "A Russian victory would be catastrophic and could trigger further conflicts in Europe," warns Dubowy. "It is crucial that Ukraine re-establishes its borders under international law. Only then will the European peace order remain stable."

NATO membership unlikely for Ukraine
NATO sees Ukraine as a potential future member. The allies see the country as being on an "irreversible path" to membership. Ukraine's accession to NATO is currently unlikely, explains the expert: "A belligerent country can hardly join NATO. Security guarantees and military support are more important. Symbolic gestures are a strong signal, but more is needed to resist Russian pressure."

"A Russian victory would be catastrophic and could trigger further conflicts in Europe," warns Dubowy.(Bild: krone.tv )

Soviet weapons not in the very best condition
"China supplies Russia with important technologies for missile production and is an important sales market for Russian energy," says Dubowy. "Without this support, Russia would not be able to wage war so intensively. North Korea and Iran also play a role, especially through military components and drone technology, without China's support Russia could not sustain this conflict for too long at this intensity. Although it is possible to fall back on old Soviet stocks, these are not infinite and are not in the best condition. And China supplies the necessary modern technologies to ultimately be able to maintain the production of Russian missiles here," explains the Middle East expert.

Trump and Russia
A possible election victory for Donald Trump would further complicate the situation. Trump has announced that he wants to end the conflict within 24 hours. Dubowy remains skeptical: "Trump promises a lot, but during his term of office from 2016 to 2020 he was neither able to resolve the Donbass conflict nor negotiate a new security order. Russia is seeking a dictatorial peace, not real negotiations."

Watch the full interview in the video above!