DISINFO: Merz’s missile threat is not serious because the US calls the shots in Germany
SUMMARY
Chancellor Merz announced that Germany, the UK, France and the US are no longer restricting how far Ukraine can strike using its NATO-sourced missiles, potentially including Taurus. But this shouldn’t be taken too seriously because America calls the shots in Germany. Today, Germany only needs to be taken seriously if it acts as a US satellite. It is not an independent nation, as it is governed partly by the EU and partly by the US. Merz, as much as previous German chancellors, doesn’t really regard himself as a representative of Germany’s interests. He doesn’t really want to pursue objectives that serve Germany’s interests. He regards himself as something like a governor of Germany for the interests of the globalist elite.
RESPONSE
This is a mix of several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Europe's -and specifically, Germany's- alleged lack of sovereignty and its submission to secret/global elites.
This disinformation story is a direct reaction to statements by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claiming that Ukraine’s Western allies are no longer imposing any restrictions on the use of long-range weapons delivered to Kyiv against Russian military targets. By downplaying the potential impact of this decision, pro-Kremlin disinformation is trying to project an image of Russia’s overwhelming superiority in all circumstances. The argument used to minimise the importance of this announcement is the baseless allegation that Germany and its government cannot act independently.
Germany is an independent and sovereign state which does not follow orders from other international actors. It is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government, and a president who is the head of state and whose main responsibilities are representative. The government has a mandate issued by the people through democratic elections, and its decisions
Accusing German leaders of serving the interests of a globalist elite is a way to promote the idea that decision-making is the realm of obscure individuals above elected officials, who have their own supranational agenda while regular citizens would have no real power. The ultimate goal of this narrative is to discredit and undermine democratic institutions.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Germany is a tightly controlled dependent US colony, that that US rules in Europe, Germany lacks independent foreign policy, that Germany is not a real country and has no Constitution, that Germany is not a sovereign state, it was built by the US, or that USA has occupied Germany as a colonial power for eight decades.