"We need our own deterrent": German foreign policy experts call Trump "indecent

ntv.de "We need our own deterrent": German foreign policy experts call Trump "indecent" 41 minutes • 2 minutes reading time Foreign policy experts from the SPD and the Greens jump to the Ukrainian president's aid after he was thrown out of the Oval Office. After the scandal in Washington, the Weimar Triangle of France, Germany and Poland must now ensure that European defense is strengthened. Leading German foreign policy experts have reacted with dismay to the scandal between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Selenskyj in the White House. The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth of the SPD, told the "Tagesspiegel" that Trump and his vice president J. D. Vance had "humiliated the Ukrainian president on the open stage". The Green foreign policy expert Agnieszka Brugger denounced "a cynical game by Donald Trump". Trump and Selenskyj clashed violently in front of cameras at a meeting in the White House on Friday over the Ukraine war. The planned signing of a raw materials agreement did not take place and a press conference was cancelled. At the meeting, Trump accused Selenskyj of, among other things, a lack of gratitude for US military aid in the face of Russia's war of aggression. The US president then wrote on his online service Truth Social that Selenskyj had shown the USA no respect whatsoever in their "beloved Oval Office". Selenskyj was "not ready for peace" and could "come back when he is ready for peace". SPD foreign policy expert Roth reacted with horror. "Without any respect or expertise, they are beating up Selenskyj. In doing so, they are not only taking away his dignity, but also that of his people," he told the "Tagesspiegel". This is "politically devastating and humanly deeply indecent". Putin and all authoritarian rulers should be jubilant. With regard to the role of the USA, Roth added: "The USA is no longer on the 'liberal democracy' team." "Anyone who relies on Trump's America is abandoned" Roth spoke of a "historic state of emergency." "Anyone who relies on Trump's America is abandoned," said the SPD politician. The EU now needs "more leadership and ambition." "Above all, it must come from Berlin, Paris and Warsaw," demanded Roth, referring to the so-called Weimar Triangle, which includes France, Germany and Poland. The European states must also make "massive and rapid investments in our own security and in deterrence." Green foreign policy expert Agnieszka Brugger told the paper: "President Selenskyj refused to play Donald Trump's cynical game in Washington, in which only Vladimir Putin wins in the end." It has "never helped to suck up to guys like President Trump," added the Green politician. "What the bullies of this world understand are clear words and decisive actions. For this, Ukraine needs its friends in Europe now more than ever and we need Ukraine just as much."