Metin Hakverdi, the German government’s Transatlantic Coordinator, said he does not rule out sending German troops to participate in potential security guarantees for Ukraine. “We can’t rule anything out right now, or we risk narrowing the negotiations” the SPD politician told “Politico”.
At the same time, Hakverdi pointed to Europe’s heavy security dependence on the United States, especially regarding Ukraine. “That dependency is the dilemma we face” he said. “Europe must both cooperate where it can and be clear when we’re on opposite sides”.
Regarding the transatlantic relationship, Hakverdi said a break is not imminent, but tensions persist. “There was already a stress test, and I believe the stress continues” he noted, referring to the expected appearance of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference. Foundational conflicts are likely to be a major topic of discussion.
He also expressed doubts that the U.S. would retreat from a confrontational tone. “The attempt to import the cultural war from the United States to Europe isn’t an outlier” Hakverdi said, while hoping for “some substantive points on NATO cooperation” that could remain more pragmatic.
On Europe’s response to U.S. policy shifts, Hakverdi observed that the continent has reacted in a unified manner in several crises, most recently in Greenland. There he noted a “closed formation” that included the EU as well as Britain and Canada-a decisive turning point.
