The Duran Podcast - Merz Fixated on Defeating Russia; CDU Eyes Wüst as AfD Weidel Rises

Episode Date: October 25, 2026

Merz Fixated on Defeating Russia; CDU Eyes Wüst as AfD Weidel Rises

All right, Alexander, let's talk about Germany and let's talk about the recent statements from the Chancellor of Germany, Mr. Mertz. These statements have a lot of the political class in Germany talking about what he said. We have statements from Alice of Idol about Mertz. A lot of the Internet is also discussing and debating the comments from Mertz. Basically, what Mertz said, I'll sum it up. He said that Germany is not concerned with the economic, domestic stuff. They're not concerned about China, not concerned about the United States, Trump. He's only concerned about Russia.

That's it. Russia is the big concern. That's what worries him. And he also said, which a lot of people are not talking about, that's a statement that has everyone talking, right? Because Germany, as we have said for the past four years, the term that you coined about Germany, the de-industrialization of Germany is happening, and it's happening at a much faster, faster rate than I think anyone expected. But as all of this is happening in Germany,

Mertz's reply is, I don't care about any of this stuff. I only care about Russia and what Russia is doing. But he also went on to say that there is going to be no surrender to Russia. He will not allow Ukraine to lose. He would not allow Ukraine to capitulate, to surrender. I took it as Mertz even saying he will not allow Ukraine or the collective West to end this war. That's how I interested his statement. There is going to be no end to this war or the only end to the war that is acceptable to Mertz is a Ukraine collective West victory over Russia, something that's never going to happen. But anyway, that was the second part to Murch's statement, which is not getting as much media attention.

But what do you make of what Mertz is saying? Either you summed up his statement exactly correctly. That's exactly the impression I got. Now, it was, if I could say, one very rare instance of a politician being completely frank and honest about his beliefs and views, because I have no doubt that these aren't Nazis beliefs and views. That for him, the priorities, Russia, for him, the priorities, Ukraine, for him, defeating Russia is the goal and the overall.

objective, everything else must be sacrificed to achieving that objective. In Metsz's own mind, he is at war with Russia. I think that's, I think the thing people do need to understand. I mean, this isn't, when he talks about not letting Ukraine surrender or capitulate, he means he doesn't want to surrender or capitulate. I mean, he wants the war against Russia to be one. And of course, he doesn't expect the war to be won tomorrow or next week or next month. He's got these plans to rearm and rebuild Germany and to make Germany into once again the great military power. And that's also part of this great strategy of victory that he has.

But of course, Germans who are losing their jobs and who are going through a cost of living crisis and who are becoming increasingly exasperated by the entire Ukraine war. And members of his own party, the CDU, who are beginning to recognize that these sentiments that I just mentioned are becoming increasingly widespread amongst Germans. They are going to see these comments of maths as an admission, that this isn't a chancellor who is interested in. Germany or whose concern is for the German people or for the welfare of German businesses

or the German economy. It is somebody who's far more interested in Ukraine and its future and who is fighting some kind of personal war that he's developed in his own mind against Vladimir Putin and Russia. And inevitably, this is going to undermine his position. in Germany even further. There are plenty of people, by the way, in Germany who share Mertz's beliefs and opinions.

You only have to go to a German newspaper to see that. But of course, the German people don't. And it is very, very unwise for a politician to say to the German people that your concerns, your interests are not my priority. The interests and concerns of another country, Ukraine, are a greater priority for me, and that I am focused mostly on waging some great existential battle against the Russians, and I'm prepared to sacrifice you, your economy, society, your businesses, your future in order to achieve victory in that war. So it was an

astonishingly revealing statement and it's going to crystallize the mood in Germany, I suspect, further. And I'm going to say, I think it's going to hasten the day when the CDU says to Matt's enough enough, the time has come for you to go. Yeah, but will they do that just to swap out Mertz for another version of Mertz, right? I mean, the German elite, the political class, it does seem as if a majority of the German political class, C-D-U, CSU, SPD, Greens, they have this obsession to go to war with Russia. It's exactly as you said. They believe that they are in this existential battle, decades-long, centuries-long battle, and struggle with Russia.

And they want to continue this battle. Perhaps they believe they can end this battle in a victory against Russia. But it seems to be that this is the dominant ideology, the dominant mindset, not across the entire political class of Germany. You have forces in the Avede that are against this. You have forces in the BSW inside a Wagonite party as well, which is against. this. But the mainstream political class in Germany, the merches, the hobbits, who was at one point at time, the government, the bear box, the Pistorius, all these people, the Olaf Schultz, all these

people really are the Ursula von der Leyence. She's German, right? It seems like they really have internalized this belief, as you said, this existential war with Russia. And now we are, We are in this thing to win. We have to defeat Russia. This is our chance to finally defeat Russia. How do you change this? Well, you don't because you're absolutely right. That is the dominant ascendant opinion within the German political class.

Again, go to any German newspaper and read what they say about the situation. And you will see that. The German media is absolutely a part of the German political class. and maths's opinions are just an extreme version of what they all think. And yes, there are actually dissident groups within the SPD, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, which are queasy with this strategy and skeptical about it. There are also people within the CDU who are squeezy and skeptical about the strategy. And of course, the CDU and the SPD and all of the rest are very worried about the fact that this is

unpopular policy within Germany and that they're losing their political positions. But the ascendant dominant force within the German political class and system have exactly the views that you say. But they are also politicians, at least at some level. And when the Chancellor of Germany speaks in this. this straightforward way to the German people, they understand that that is unwise and reckless. He comes across not as a politician, but more as an ideological fanatic. Nobody wants to be led by such a person because, I mean, they still have to fight and win elections,

even if the elections are arranged in all kinds of ways. They still have to go and explain things to their voters. They want to give the impression, at least, that they do still care about Germany and what Germany is all about. So, as I said, they're going to see this, and they go to see this man is simply impossible. We can't have him there. He just doesn't, hasn't any ability to control what he says. And he does, he says, he says things which are unwise and reckless.

and which ultimately only strengthen the position of our adversaries, those forces in Germany, which are gaining strength, and want to see a complete change, of course. So already they're talking about Hendrik Wust, who is the Minister-President of Nord-Reyne-Westphalen. Now, he's clearly, I think, the man is going to take over. I don't know very well, but he's already talking about banning the IFTA. So that tells us where he comes from. There's no reason to think. There's no sign that he has any differences of view with maths about the conflict with Russia.

But he does come across as a rather more, shall we say, nimble politician who will avoid making, and blurting out incredible statements like this one. So I think that more people, after all of this, in the CDU are going to say to themselves, this is the time to start thinking about replacing maths with Vost. Vost at least knows how to speak and how to say things in a way that's not going to make our lives more difficult than it already is. What's the overall plan of Germany or at least the German political elite? People like the warts, what's of?

Worsts. Wurst. People like Verst or anyone else in the political elite after Merz is gone. And he's probably going to be gone fairly soon. But what's the plan? Because maybe Merz blurts it out. and says it openly, what they're hiding. But it doesn't change the fact that this belief is there,

and it's widespread among the German political elite, the political class. I mean, what's the future of Germany without having the Russian resources? There is no future. Well, I know. It was the Russian resources that helped build Germany into the manufacturing giant that it once was. Yes. So where does Germany get? go from here? Are they locked into this ideology, this mindset of a forever war with Russia,

even after Ukraine, even after Ukraine is defeated, even after Ukraine is collapsed and done with? Do they continue this conflict, this battle in their mind, in their head, that they're in some sort of this war with Russia and with Putin? I mean, where does this all lead to? Well, right. And this is bad for Europe as well. I mean, as Greece, we don't want to be dragged down by this ridiculous ideology. It's this belief that we're going to be a war forever and ever and ever.

Well, can I just say a few things about this? Firstly, what is their plan? Their plan is to replace mouths with Worst. That is the, that is it. I mean, they're not going to change policy. They're not going to change direction. These people, to the extent that they think politically, think in a manipulative way about politics.

So you replace somebody with a smiley face and a rather more amiable personality. you put that nicer person, more approachable, more likable person, in place of, you know, the hardline, extremist sounding figure, do a figure of maths. I mean, to some people in Germany, he must be coming across us slightly crazed, frankly, to put it mildly. So, I mean, I think this is this is the sum total of the plan. carry on doing exactly what you are doing, but have somebody more personable, more likable, more human-sounding in charge, more empathic in charge, which is, of course, exactly what the Labour Party has done in Britain. And for a few weeks, a few months, it's going to work. I mean, you're going to see a certain relief in Germany. People will look at Wurst.

They'll see that he's different from the mouths. They will feel more sympathetic. there will be a revival in the CDU support, but nothing underlying, nothing deep down is going to change. Now, your point about what is the future of Germany and Germany needs Russian resources in order to be able to return to being, or at least try to return to being what it was, you know, the industrial and exporting colossus that it used. to be. Well, there is, of course, one political person who is talking in this way, and this is Alice Vidal. And I've been following some of the Bundestag debates, and it's becoming increasingly clear that she's starting to dominate them. And to the point when Mats himself isn't able any longer, apparently, to stay in the chamber and listen to her.

He has to walk out and let her speak, because as I said, he doesn't really have any coherent responses to her arguments. Now, at one level, this is making vital look politically very dominant, or at least it may make it seem as if she is, you know, the force that is coming. And I suspect that many people in Germany do look at her and think in that way. But the IFTA is not entirely isolated in talking in this way, but it is mostly isolated in talking this way within the political system. And course, as we've discussed in many programs, it faces enormous challenges. And whilst I was at the conference in Kyoto, I met with someone from Germany who is quite, you know, well-informed

about things in Germany. And she spoke about the fact that there are divisions within the IEFTA, the East German part of the IFTA, the part of it that is based in East Germany, wants a much more radical break with what is happening. They definitely want to restore economic relations with Russia. They want to, and not just reform the EU. They want basically to quit the euro. They want a Bismarckian foreign policy, all of those things. Whereas in Western Germany, you still have within the IFDA elements that remain, committed to membership of NATO, who want to preserve the euro, who want to carry out reforms of the EU system.

We discussed this in a recent programme. And that these divisions within the IFDA exist. And of course, as the momentum of events accelerates, as conditions in Germany get worse, I mean, there is a real potential, it seems to me, for a split. Remember, Alice Vidal is not the leader of the IFDA. She is the co-leader of the IFDA. There are lots of other people in the IFDA. It's a very unruly and complicated party.

She doesn't dominate it. And, you know, what can't be sure where all of this is going to go and whether, in fact, she is going to be able to win an election, become Chancellor in Berlin, and start to do these very rational things that she's saying. But the fact that she's saying them, as I said, does change the political atmosphere in Germany. It does mean that a politician is able to stand up in the Bundestag and talk in this way and do so in a coherent and effective way. And that is having an effect in the way that the debates are happening in Germany. Yeah, I wonder if they will allow her to actually put these words into action if she does become Chancellor.

I mean, you know, the fact that she says these things, I'm sure is incredibly alarming to the globalist ruling elite in Germany and in Brussels. Well, I think either we have to stop her. Yeah. Maybe someone else in the Avda takes over instead of her, or we have to turn her into a Maloney type of. of a leader. Well, she doesn't look like she's going to become a Maloney. I mean, she's not doing what Marine Le Pen is doing in France, for example, which is trying to make herself appear more mainstream.

And she's taking this radical position, which in German terms is a radical position. And she's winning. I mean, she appears to be winning. in some ways, and I said this, you know, I mentioned this before we did this program, she reminds me a little bit of Margaret Thatcher in Britain in the 1970s, before she became Prime Minister, but after she became leader of the Conservative Party and opposition leader, which is that Margaret Thatcher was also saying all sorts of things, which many people were shocked and horrified by.

but after a certain point you sensed that she was gaining traction and it became the moment eventually came when it began to seem as if Margaret Thatcher would become inevitable which of course she did she became prime minister and I don't think we're quite there with Alice Vidal but if the German political class doesn't do something about her quakely, the risk they run is that she will acquire something of that quality as well, that she's the only person who's talking realities, who's focused on Germany. I mean, she's already making the point that Mounts is behaving like the Chancellor of Ukraine rather than the Chancellor of Germany. And it is cutting through. It is gaining traction. they will probably fear that if this is allowed to continue for too long,

then it might start to gain so much traction that it begins to look like an Alice Vidal as Chancellor, is if not inevitable, than a very real and very dangerous possibility. So I'm going to make a guess. I think eventually we're going to see Matt's replaced by Vust. I think there's going to be a major attack on the eye of debt and on Alice Vidal in particular. I think this is almost certainly coming on the horizon now. And I think that even if it fails, you're going to see a major arrangements being made in Germany to try to stop this challenge from Vidal crystallized.

there'll be attempts made to find weaknesses and divisions within the IFDA and also to prepare the civil service, the judiciary, all of those things, for the day when, in case she does win and becomes Chancellor, that you start doing everything you possibly can very quickly, very early on, to prevent her consolidating her position. Margaret Thatcher, as Prime Minister, also faced, by the way, concerted attacks on her position when she became Prime Minister. But she was able to get through them. With Alice Vidal, this can be much more difficult. It's interesting that you make the comparison between Thatcher and Vidal, because everything that we've said about Germany and the German political establishment and their feeling, their belief that they're in this existential war with Russia, this forever war with Russia, carries over to the British establishment. Yeah, absolutely, yes, it does. I mean, I remember, I mean, I should make it very clear, by the way, that I was one of the people who was very strongly opposed to Margaret Thatcher at that time.

So, you know, I, you know, I was also, you know, not happy at the idea of a becoming prime minister. And those were my views then. So I, you know, but I remember the times and I could see how events were developing. And it, there is something about this. that reminds me of the situation in Germany today. And you're absolutely right. I've said this many times that Germany and Britain are much more similar than people realize. And the way the political classes work in the two countries is much more similar.

And the sources of their support are much more similar to. And, well, you saw that when Margaret Thatcher began to depart the scene, things began to default back because the political system in Britain never fully accepted her

and I suspect you're going to see something like that happen if we do ever get a chance to Levitle she's never going to win over people completely all right we will end the video there we are on substack we're on locals Also go to the Duran shop, pick up some merch, all those links are in the description box down below. Take care.