Germany says 'Russia is no longer our partner, but rival'

The German government has updated the White Paper - the guidelines on the country's national security policy.

The updated version states that Russia "is no longer Germany's partner, but its rival" and now is one of the main threats, according to Die Welt.

The White Paper was not amended since 2006. The new edition states that the world "changed a lot," everything became "complicated, volatile and unpredictable" in terms of security.

The document says that Russia "is ready to advance its interests by force," and refers to events in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.

The document also says that "Russia is turning away from the West, emphasizing the strategic rivalry and increasing its military activity on the EU external borders", the newspaper reports.

The German government is deeply concerned about "hybrid instruments designed to blur the boundaries between war and peace" and "subversive activities against other countries," the newspaper said.

"Without a fundamental change of course, Russia in the foreseeable future will pose a security threat to our continent", states the White Paper.

Apart from Russia, the new edition names other Germany's national threats - terrorism, cyber crime, uncontrolled migration, nationalism, the arms race, global warming, and epidemics.

The new 80-page White Book edition was prepared by the Defence Ministry in cooperation with other agencies responsible for national security. The document must be approved and presented by the German government.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier earlier said that Germany does not recognize legality of Crimea's annexation by Russia and will not support Moscow's attempts to destabilize the situation in eastern Ukraine.

UT