Europeans must be prepared to make more sacrifices for Ukraine. Among other things, pension funds should be invested in weapons for the country. This is according to the chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Rob Bauer.
– Everyone must understand that they must contribute, he says.

The statements were made last weekend during a military conference in Prague organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The British think tank has previously been noted for the large donations it receives from the Bahraini royal family.

During a panel discussion in which Bauer participated on Sunday, he argues that Europeans need to be “led” and have the “difficult choices” that Europe faces explained to them.

– If we invest more in defense and more in Ukraine, there will be less money to invest in other things. Then some of our luxury disappears, he says.

Everyone should participate

The NATO summit wants the entire Western world to transition to something resembling a wartime economy. All to help Ukraine, and to defeat the old-new enemy Russia.

– This means that everyone must understand that they must contribute, says Rob Bauer.

He urges more people to invest money in the arms industry, and believes that, for example, pension funds that avoid such investments for ethical reasons are wrong and should reconsider.

– It makes our society stronger. Our democracies. It cannot be measured in money, but if we don’t do it, we will destroy our system, he warns.

Warns against quick peace

During the panel discussion, the war in Ukraine is compared to that in Afghanistan. Rob Bauer argues that unlike Ukraine, Afghanistan lacks strategic importance for NATO and the Western powers. But the reason why the military alliance is not more actively involved in the war in Ukraine is that Russia has nuclear weapons:

– I am completely sure that if the Russians did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine and kicked them out. We would have.

– But they have nuclear weapons, so it’s not the same as Afghanistan.

Bauer also believes that it would be a mistake if the newly elected US President Donald Trump tries to reach a quick peace with Russia.

– I cannot believe that it is in the interest of the United States to let Putin come out of this as a winner, he says.

Wants to limit freedom of speech

Rob Bauer also warns against a society where anyone can express anything. And he points to Elon Musk as a cautionary example of unbridled freedom of speech.

– I am a big supporter of freedom of speech, but there is a lot on Twitter that does not help our society at all, he says.

The NATO summit believes that the public should also let the state monitor them, and finds it strange that people protest because the “government wants to look at their phone for ten seconds”. He believes that tech companies already have access to them anyway.

– We have already given everything away. It’s a ridiculous discussion about privacy, says NATO summit chairman Rob Bauer.