Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the Social Democratic Party and likely candidate for vice chancellor, issued his starkest warning yet about the transatlantic relationship in an interview with Der Spiegel published Thursday, declaring that "everyone in Europe should now finally have heard the shot."
The statement, made just weeks before Germany's federal election on February 23rd, represents a significant rhetorical escalation from the SPD—traditionally the most Atlanticist of Germany's major parties. Klingbeil's language suggests the party is preparing German voters for a fundamental recalibration of the country's security posture, regardless of who leads the next government.
"Donald Trump is holding up a mirror to Europe," Klingbeil told the magazine, framing the American president's threats against Greenland, tariff warnings, and demands for increased NATO spending not as aberrations but as catalysts forcing long-overdue strategic decisions in Brussels and Berlin.
In Germany, as elsewhere in Europe, consensus takes time—but once built, it lasts. Klingbeil's comments suggest that consensus is forming across the political spectrum that European security can no longer rest primarily on American guarantees.
The timing is deliberate. With Friedrich Merz's CDU leading polls ahead of the February election, Klingbeil appears to be staking out common ground on defense policy that could survive a change in government. Both major parties now acknowledge that Germany must significantly increase defense spending beyond the NATO two-percent target, though they differ on fiscal mechanisms.
The SPD leader's rhetoric marks a departure from Olaf Scholz's more cautious approach during his tenure as chancellor. While Scholz announced the €100 billion Bundeswehr special fund after Russia's invasion of Ukraine—his so-called Zeitenwende or "turning point"—implementation has been slower than Germany's European partners demanded.
Klingbeil's comments align with recent statements from France's Emmanuel Macron, who announced a €300 billion capital markets initiative aimed at reducing European dependence on American financial markets, and Lithuania's foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who has called for "true partnership only between equals."
The political context in Germany adds weight to Klingbeil's positioning. With the SPD trailing in polls but likely to remain part of the next coalition government, establishing cross-party consensus on strategic autonomy could shape Germany's approach for years regardless of the election outcome. German industrial policy and defense procurement timelines extend well beyond electoral cycles—decisions made in 2026 will determine capabilities in the 2030s.
German economists and defense experts have noted that increased defense spending could provide fiscal stimulus to an economy struggling with structural challenges, particularly in the automotive and chemical sectors. The question is no longer whether Germany will spend more on defense, but how those expenditures will be financed within the constraints of the debt brake—the constitutional limit on borrowing that has defined German fiscal policy since 2009.
Klingbeil's interview suggests the SPD is preparing to argue for reform of the debt brake to accommodate defense spending, positioning it as a matter of national and European security rather than fiscal profligacy. This represents a significant shift for a party that has historically defended fiscal orthodoxy alongside the CDU.
The broader European implications are substantial. As the EU's largest economy and most populous member state, Germany's strategic posture shapes the entire bloc's approach to defense and foreign policy. A German government committed to European strategic autonomy—whether led by the SPD, CDU, or a coalition of both—would fundamentally alter the balance of power within NATO and the transatlantic relationship.
Klingbeil's "wake-up call" language echoes warnings from Baltic and Eastern European member states that have long argued Germany was too complacent about Russian threats and too dependent on American security guarantees. The SPD leader's comments suggest those warnings are now being heard in Berlin—a shift that may prove as consequential as the Zeitenwende announcement itself.
