Germany’s warning to Australia on US alliance under Trump: ‘Don’t carry all eggs in one basket’

Germany’s visiting Defence Minister has blasted Donald Trump’s “catastrophic” war in the Middle East while warning Australia not to place “all eggs in one basket” with its reliance on the United States alliance.

During his first official visit to Canberra Boris Pistorius has been welcomed by his counterpart Richard Marles where both Defence Ministers have signed a new status of forces agreement between Germany and Australia.

Following their talks in Parliament House, Mr Pistorius was asked at a joint news conference whether the Trump Administration’s actions were prompting Germany to look towards greater cooperation with nations outside of NATO.

“I learned very early in my life that it’s much better not to carry all eggs in one basket, and therefore what we all are learning now is to more diversify our relations, to reduce our dependencies and to broaden our view of the world,” Mr Pistorius responded.

“We are proceeding and taking more responsibility for our own security, while at the same time keeping the US aboard of NATO and our alliance, which is still going on, but at the same time it’s obvious that the world’s politics are becoming more and more unpredictable.”

“It’s so crucial to broaden and to deepen and to strengthen all the alliances we already used to have for the future, and Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and other allies in the region are so important for us … and at the same time, we don’t want to imagine a world without the United States as a reliable partner.”

“What we should do is to focus on ourselves as those allies and partners who really rely on rules based international order, who are not superpowers, but who very much stick together,” he added.

Standing next to Mr Marles, one of the Albanese government’s strongest supporters of the US alliance, the visiting German politician took aim at the Trump administration’s attack on Iran and called for both sides to end the conflict.

“This war is a catastrophe for the world’s economies. The impact is absolutely evident already. Now, after little bit more than two weeks, the closure of the Hormuz trade has an impact for all the region in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia.”

“Nobody asked us before. It’s not our war, and therefore we don’t want to get sucked into that war, to make it crystal clear, and what we need is now a diplomatic solution as soon as possible. We need end of shooting and killing,” he added.

Mr Marles declined to elaborate on the Minister’s criticism of Mr Trump but heaped praise on Germany following the meeting with his visiting counterpart where they vowed to strengthen military relations.

“To have a country where we share values, but we share a commitment to the rules-based order, seeking to play a part in the Indo-Pacific, I mean, that is deeply welcome, and it is much more than symbolic,” he said.

“In a challenging world, I fundamentally feel safer having had the kind of conversation that we’ve had today.”

Speaking later at the National Press Club, Mr Pistorius said Western middle powers such as Australia and Germany “need to do more” on sharing intelligence about potential adversaries, pointing to similar cooperation between China, Russia and Iran.

While in the country, Mr Pistorius is expected to inspect progress on Australia’s Boxer armoured vehicle construction in Queensland, which is designed by German company Rheinmetall.

Defence industry sources say the German minister is also expected to be briefed on the Ghost Bat program, an autonomous aircraft which has been developed by Boeing for the Royal Australian Air Force.