Alwaght- Germany says it might abandon the US in case Washington launches a war against North Korea.
Germany not “automatically” sides with the US should it face an armed conflict with North Korea, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said signaling a major crack within the NATO military alliance. The Germane Chancellor believes the North Korean crisis cannot be resolved through military means.
She was speaking at the ‘Deutschland Live’ event organized by national newspaper Handelsblatt, where the ongoing North Korean crisis was among the key topics addressed.
When asked about the worst-case scenario, namely an armed conflict between Washington and Pyongyang, Merkel said that Germany would not necessarily back America.
“No, not automatically. I do not see any military solution to [the crisis with] North Korea. I think it is wrong,” Merkel said.
The German leader called for a peaceful resolution to tensions, insisting that “diplomatic means have not been utilized in full.”
Merkel has rejected any military option for North Korea, while Washington and Pyongyang continue to be embroiled in a war of words. At the height of recent tensions, US President Donald Trump promised to meet any further threats from North Korea with “fire and fury,” while the North threatened to strike a US base in Guam.
“Germany will be intensively involved in any non-military solutions,” Merkel said. “But an escalation of rhetoric is the wrong answer.” The remarks by Merkel are seen as widening the rifts among members of the US-led military alliances which has faced a myriad of challenges since Trump’s inauguration.
Germany has also voiced support for the Russian-Chinese initiative for a “double freeze” to resolve the Korean crisis. The plan involves simultaneously stopping missile tests by North Korea and halting South Korean drills with the US.
Washington rebuffed the calls, however, and is currently holding the large-scale Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises on the Korean Peninsula with Seoul. Despite the US saying that the drills are designed to enhance readiness and protect the region, North Korea sees them as part of preparation to invade its territory.
