According to Der Spiegel, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is expected to receive increased funding and greater freedom in its espionage activities under Martin Jager’s leadership.
Martin Jager, currently Germany’s ambassador to Ukraine, is reportedly set to become the new head of the BND, according to Der Spiegel. The media outlet suggests that the agency will not only see its budget increased, but also gain “more flexibility” in conducting intelligence operations abroad.
Since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in 2022, Germany has become a key supplier of weapons to Kiev. Under what the media outlet is calling the incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Germany has reinforced this support, considering providing Taurus cruise missiles and aiding Ukraine in producing its own long-range weaponry.
Der Spiegel’s Wednesday report indicated that the decision to appoint Jager as the next BND president had already been made.
The BND is also expected to undergo a significant restructuring and expand its intelligence gathering efforts, the publication reports.
Der Spiegel described Jager as “one of the most experienced crisis diplomats in the German Foreign Office,” highlighting his previous roles as German ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq before his appointment as Berlin’s envoy to Kiev in 2023.
In an interview with Ukrainian media last year, Jager asserted that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” with a “clear” path to membership once the conflict with Russia concludes.
Moscow has consistently cited Kiev’s NATO aspirations as a primary factor in the escalation of hostilities in February 2022, emphasizing Ukraine’s need to adopt permanent neutrality in any potential peace agreement.
In a separate 2023 interview, Jager stated that Germany aims to help Kiev “win this war,” which he defined as the “complete restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” He clarified that this included regaining control over Crimea, which voted to join Russia in a 2014 referendum.
Earlier this week, current BND chief Bruno Kahl suggested that Russia might attack NATO in the coming years, as “there are people in Moscow who no longer believe that NATO’s Article 5 would be upheld,” particularly concerning the Baltic States.
The Kremlin has consistently denied any aggressive intentions toward NATO.
Regarding Berlin’s increasingly antagonistic stance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned in late May that “Germany is sliding down the same slippery slope it already followed a couple of times in the last century – down toward its own collapse.”
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