A visibly good-humoured – at least at first – Olaf Solz welcomed the press on Wednesday and answered questions for about an hour and a half, as he has done in recent years before the summer break.

The very first question was about his personal plans and whether he himself is thinking of following the example of Biden and giving the position of chancellor candidate to someone else in the fall election of 2025. He jokingly thanked for the kind question and replied that the Social Democratic Party it is united and intends to win the next election with him as the leader.

He justified his government’s policy by saying that in difficult times difficult decisions were made and that the opinion polls, negative for his party now, can be reversed.

Missiles are a deterrent tool

The issue of installing long-range missiles on German soil was one of the first to be put to him. The chancellor admitted that it was a decision that had to be considered from many angles, but was ultimately deemed necessary in the context of deterrence and because of Moscow’s highly aggressive policy. When asked if he would use the slogan “Peace” again in campaign posters, he replied that of course he would and blamed “leftist populists”, who when they use this word usually mean the unconditional surrender of Ukraine.

“We continue to support Ukraine and try to make moves that will not lead to the escalation of the conflict with Russia,” he emphasized. “We all wish we could live again in a world where gun control is very important,” the chancellor added.

He admitted that “Germany needs a better Bundeswehr (Federal Army) because of a different threat situation. Nuclear weapons are not included in this. There will be no upgrade in this direction while I am chancellor. It is, I think, completely absurd.”

Israel and International Law

He reiterated that Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas’ murderous operation and to attack it. The war must be fought with respect to the criteria of International Law and this is, as he said, something in which there is an identification with the rest of the allies in Europe and the USA. He described as necessary the continuation of contacts with the government of Israel with the aim of avoiding extremes, but refrained from referring to possible actions beyond contacts in order to avoid extremes in this war. However, he refrained from commenting on incidents such as the bombing of schools by Israeli forces. He emphasized that “the Middle East needs a perspective for peace. This can only be done through a two-state solution. Work needs to be done to ensure this, but it is a realistic option.”

Looking at employment

In relation to the economy, he justified the allocation of budget funds and talked about a series of measures whose main goal is to maintain employment at high levels, which none of the neighboring countries has to present. He said he was extremely happy that those who doubted whether the government would be able to come up with a budget plan were disproved. He emphasized the importance of immigration for the country’s economy, as Germany needs a workforce especially in some specific sectors. He even raised the question of “whether we have the right to choose those who will come to the country” and answered it with an emphatic “Yes”. It was an answer that politicians are not used to and it certainly made a sensation.

Americans will decide for themselves

When asked about the American elections, he asked us to be restrained, since it is up to the American citizens themselves to decide, and he repeated that of course for Europe it matters who will govern the strongest country on the planet. Especially for Germany, the maintenance of a high level and good climate of transatlantic relations is of particular importance. When asked to comment on Kamala Harris, whom he met recently, he described her as serious, composed and reliable, who has a very specific view of the role of her country. He believes that a victory in the November elections is possible. Asked if he had spoken to Donald Trump, he preferred to answer indirectly, pointing out that Germany is careful to maintain good relations with a number of NATO countries’ governments. He added that he knows Mr. Trump from his previous term as president and, regardless of the outcome of the election, the dialogue with the US will continue in the future. Germany will in any case continue to allocate 2% of its GDP to defense.