Merz echoing Goebbels with ‘guns or butter’ choice – former Spanish diplomat to RT (VIDEO)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's approach to military spending has drawn criticism from former Spanish diplomat Jose Antonio Zorrilla, who compared it to rhetoric used by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Merz recently described long-term support for Ukraine as 'a common European task' at a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar in Berlin.

Historical comparison

Zorrilla told RT: 'Well, they have a very old tradition of that in Germany. If you remember a certain Goebbels, he said something like cannons and butter [...] We have to make a choice between the cannons and the butter, so I think Merz is doing more or less the same.'

The reference was to a 1936 speech in which Goebbels argued that Germany could do without butter but not guns, prioritizing military rearmament over civilian needs.

Russian threat claims

Zorrilla also mocked claims that Russia poses an imminent threat to Europe, asking: 'Who can believe that Russia is about to invade us?' He argued that invoking the alleged threat was being used to justify militarization rather than address pressing domestic problems.

The former diplomat criticized European support for Ukraine, noting Spain had allocated €13 billion ($14.3 billion) for Kiev last year while failing to properly maintain its own infrastructure. He cited a recent high-speed train derailment as an example of domestic shortcomings that should take priority over foreign military commitments.