Keir Starmer has bought some more time, there is a modest bounce in his polling, and he has had the well-timed fortune of the Munich security conference. His call there for the remaking of western alliances and taking the initiative on European defence cooperation has fumigated the air a little of the sense of imminent demise that has been swirling around him. But it will probably be a temporary hiatus.
Germany plans to raise its military aid to Ukraine by €3 billion next year to around €11.5 billion ($13.2 billion) to support its battle against Russia, the finance ministry said Tuesday. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil "will introduce a further €3 billion in support for Ukraine into the parliamentary budget process for 2026", a ministry spokesman told AFP. "This includes, among other things, artillery, drones, armoured vehicles and the replacement of two Patriot systems." The spokesman added that "Germany stands firmly by Ukraine's side and is Ukraine's biggest supporter in Europe. This applies financially, economically and militarily. "We will continue our support for as long as it is necessary to defend against Russia's war of aggression."
The closer Russia's hybrid war comes to European capitals, the less EU leaders seem able to agree on how to respond. That, at least, was the worrying impression left by a dissonant EU summit in Copenhagen. Summoned last week to build consensus on the top priorities for European rearmament, the meeting was an embarrassing display of the turf wars, political squabbles and hidden agendas that are plaguing attempts to build a coherent European defence.
I trust the secret services. And German intelligence claims it has evidence that the Kremlin is discussing an attack on NATO. And if they're discussing it, are they planning an attack? We don't know. But such signals must be taken deadly seriously. They may indeed be ready for war. We must also be ready for it and learn not only from the experiences of the Ukrainians, but also from the Russians.
Drone sightings over Munich airport on Thursday evening forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers in the German city. Another 15 arriving flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, the airport said in a statement, marking the latest drone disruption to European aviation after sightings temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway last week.
