Volt on foreign affairs and defence

Volt wants to create a European army with shared equipment, tactics and procurement. Germany would spend at least 3 percent of its economic output on defense. The platform expects lower costs, more efficiency and greater independence.

Volt wants one shared army for Europe. Everyone should have the same equipment. Germany should spend more money on defense. It should be at least 3 percent of economic output. The reserve forces should also get better.

Spending of at least 3 percent of GDP is meant to fund modernization and make Germany an equal partner in the EU and NATO. Personnel structures, tactics and training would become more flexible, with less bureaucracy and more digitalization. The reserve would get better equipment, regular exercises and extra incentives so that it is ready in an emergency.

Volt wants to make Bundeswehr procurement faster and more flexible. The requirement to submit arms projects above 25 million euros to parliament would be dropped; instead, all contract awards would be published. The platform sees this as a precondition for the success of the Zeitenwende (the turning point in defense policy).

The Bundeswehr should get new equipment faster. Today parliament must approve big purchases one by one. Volt wants to end that. Instead, the state should make all contracts public. New weapons should be tested before they are bought.

The procurement office BAAINBw would be strengthened. Responsibility for capability management would move from the planning office to the individual service branches. More flexible award procedures should also make it easier to work with start-ups. Strategically important suppliers in Europe would be managed centrally. For major projects, prototypes would be tested before contracts are awarded, and in approving weapons systems, testing by the armed forces would take priority over civilian standards and maximum product safety.

Volt wants Germany to do more to resolve international conflicts, with more diplomacy and also more Bundeswehr deployments. The platform argues that conflicts indirectly affect Germany too, for example through a rising cost of living.

There are more wars in the world than before. People in Germany feel this too, for example in prices. Volt wants Germany to do more. Germany should negotiate more. The Bundeswehr should also be deployed more often.

Germany would align its foreign and defense policy more closely with its European partners and strengthen the European pillar of NATO. Because the platform sees the United Nations as paralyzed, conflict resolution in other multilateral formats would be strengthened. Germany would actively shape international missions while complying with international law. Based on shared values, it would gain new transatlantic partners and deepen existing ties.

Volt wants to counter Chinese influence more firmly, reduce economic dependence on China and at the same time expand dialogue. According to the platform, democracy and human rights should rank above economic pressures.

China is an important trade partner. Volt thinks Germany depends too much on China. Companies should also buy and sell in other countries. Important networks and facilities should be protected from China's influence. Volt still wants to keep talking with China.

China's influence on politics, public agencies, universities and companies would be named and tackled more firmly; in the Global South, Europe would offer a liberal-democratic alternative. Volt backs the EU's de-risking strategy: companies would get help diversifying supply chains and markets, and strategic raw materials such as rare earths would be secured at the European level. Chinese firms in Germany would face the same investment conditions as German firms in China. Vulnerable industries would be made more resilient. Cooperation on climate, poverty and pandemic prevention would continue, along with cultural centers, exchange programs and more direct talks.

Volt wants to supply Ukraine with all the weapons it needs and place no limits on their use. Sanctions against Russia are to be expanded at the same time. In the party's view, the war can only be ended at the negotiating table, and Russia must be pressured into coming to it.

Volt wants to give Ukraine all the weapons it needs. Ukraine should be free to use them without limits. The penalties against Russia should get tougher. This should push Russia to talk about peace.

Germany is to work out a strategic plan for military aid together with Ukraine and partner countries, and make decisions faster in the future. Ukraine is to decide for itself when and on what terms to negotiate; other countries, including China, are to take part in the talks. Russia is to return all territory annexed since 2014, and Volt rejects any recognition of the annexations. Sanctions are to be widened quickly and enforced strictly to raise political and economic pressure.

After the war, Volt wants to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction with confiscated Russian money. The country is to receive security guarantees and be brought into European structures step by step. The platform argues that everyone benefits from a stable neighborhood.

After the war, Ukraine should be rebuilt. Volt wants to use Russian money that was seized for this. Other countries should protect Ukraine. Step by step, Ukraine should become part of Europe.

Seized Russian assets are to serve as reparations, funding both reconstruction and Ukraine's path into the EU. International partners are to jointly ensure the country's long-term security. Ukraine is to become part of European security and economic systems in stages, with support for its reform process. In the platform's view, this should prevent a repeat of what followed 2008 and 2014.