“But we remember all too well where a rearmed Germany in the hands of a far-right, pro-Russian party can lead — and that is exactly what the AfD represents,” he added.
For Warsaw, the prospect of a far-right party gaining power in a heavily militarized Germany hits a deep historical nerve.
Parts of present-day Poland were occupied by Imperial Germany during World War I, and Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, triggering World War II in Europe and subjecting the country to a brutal occupation.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk struck a similarly stark note after the Saxony-Anhalt vote, saying “only idiots or traitors” in Poland could celebrate the AfD’s triumph.
Merz pledged at the beginning of his term in 2025 to turn the Bundeswehr into “the strongest conventional army in Europe.” Germany also spent $114 billion on its military last year — almost as much as France and Poland combined — and Berlin is planning further increases.
As part of that wider rearmament drive, Germany is also planning for nearly €12 billion in long-range weapons capable of striking military targets hundreds or thousands of kilometers away, part of Berlin’s effort to deter Russia in the war against Ukraine.