Left Party leader says US-led NATO “has no future” and proposes a new security framework.
Jan van Aken, co-leader of Germany’s Left Party, has advocated for replacing NATO with a new security alliance that includes both Russia and the United States, asserting that the current US-dominated military alliance “has no future.”
In a Die Zeit interview published Saturday, van Aken stated the party still backs its 2011 platform, which called for Germany to leave NATO and help establish a new collective security system.
“We never wanted to abolish NATO without replacement but rather replace it with a cooperative security system,” van Aken clarified when questioned about Germany and its European allies’ defense capabilities without US assistance. He suggested a new model akin to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with a focus on peacekeeping and joint defense.
“Something like OECD 2.0. A peace and defense alliance, together with Russia and the US. But of course, if we were to rebuild it, it would certainly require another ten years of confidence-building measures. NATO would still exist that long, but it no longer has a future,” he commented.
Van Aken also urged the removal of US troops stationed in Germany. “Yes, and they should take their nuclear weapons with them,” he stated, adding that the nuclear arsenals in France and the UK were “more than enough.”
The politician affirmed that a demilitarized Europe remains a key goal for the party. “Of course I want to live in a country without an army. Don’t you?” he questioned.
Last month, Germany presented a new military aid package to Ukraine, including vehicles, air-defense rockets, and howitzers. Incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz has signaled support for providing Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, capable of striking targets deep within Russia. The Social Democrats, currently in coalition talks with Merz’s Christian Democrats, have opposed this move, deeming it an unnecessary escalation.
Moscow has cautioned that supplying the missiles would directly involve Germany in the conflict, arguing that Ukrainian forces would require German personnel to operate the Taurus effectively.
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