Compulsory military service is unlikely to be implemented for women in Germany anytime soon, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who sees many obstacles to its introduction, DPA reports.
When asked on Monday about the debate on amending the Basic Law, Germany's de facto constitution, to introduce compulsory military service for women, Merz said: "I can imagine it, but that is certainly only the third or fourth step. First we will take the first and second steps in the right direction and then we will continue the discussion."
"The Basic Law clearly states that only men can be mobilized for military service, Merz said. Whether this is still appropriate today and whether it may need to be changed is a matter of political and socio-political debate."
We recall that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius previously criticized European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen over publicly announced plans to send multinational troops to Ukraine as part of long-term security guarantees.
The minister's criticism was prompted by von der Leyen's interview with the Financial Times over the weekend, in which she stated that Europe was drawing up "quite precise plans" for a multinational deployment in Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees. She explained that the plans could include tens of thousands of soldiers from European countries, with US support in areas such as intelligence and command.
According to Pistorius, it is "fundamentally wrong" to discuss such options before peace talks. He stressed that the EU "has no responsibilities and no competences when it comes to deploying troops - for anyone or anything" and added that he would refrain from confirming or commenting on such plans.
However, Boris Pistorius acknowledged that European governments were considering "under what conditions and reservations" what would be possible, but pointed out that "to discuss this publicly at this time, I think is completely wrong".