War in Ukraine: What if Putin tests NATO?

Could it be that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul are exaggerating a bit with their warnings about Russia? One day before his trip to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday, Wadephul made a remarkable statement: Russia, the CDU foreign minister declared , is a "direct threat to lives in Germany." Upon his arrival in Ukraine, Wadephul reiterated: "The freedom and future of Ukraine is the most important task of our foreign and security policy."

For his part, Chancellor Merz , in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, accused the Germans of having a "misconception that peace in Europe will be a given forever and ever, almost as an automatic outcome." This all sounds rather dramatic. But there are good reasons for these statements.