Before Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) embarks on the three rounds of summits, to Brussels to the European Union, as host of the G7 in Elmau, Bavaria, and to NATO in Madrid, a debate will catch up with him in the Bundestag that he may have believed to be behind him. On Wednesday, the Chancellor wants to outline his plans for the meetings, especially with a view to Ukraine, in a government statement. The opposition, however, would like to use the debate to ask the head of government about the issue of arms deliveries – once again from the Union’s point of view.
On April 28, the Bundestag, with votes from all factions except for the AfD and the left, called on the government to speed up the delivery of heavy weapons as well. With the joint motion of the traffic light and the Union, a week-long dispute was settled before it reached the plenary of the House – where at the time each side claimed to have gotten what it always wanted.
In the meantime, however, as Union parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul puts it, Scholz feels “led behind the spruce”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/.” We thought it would be delivered after the decision. So far, only training and the obvious is not released,” says the CDU politician on Sunday Süddeutsche Zeitung. He means above all the armored personnel carriers of the type offered by the industry marten.
FDP politician Strack-Zimmermann and the Green Hofreiter are demanding more commitments to Kyiv
The Union now wants to point out the discrepancy between words and deeds with its own application – and the cracks in the coalition. She doesn’t expect to get votes for it from the traffic lights, but she also knows that many of the FDP and Greens in particular share the complaint, right down to the cabinet. The federal government must decide “immediately” on offers from industry to deliver heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery systems “to Ukraine in the shortest possible time,” the CDU and CSU demand. A head office must be set up in the Federal Chancellery for coordination. As the Union knows, the FDP politician and chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, had already called for this in mid-May.
Would he help the Ukrainians fight the invaders? The armored personnel carrier “Marder”.
(Photo: Sven Eckelkamp/imago)
Overall, Strack-Zimmermann believes that the assurances are quite respectable. In view of the military needs in Ukraine, the promised systems would be “effective support” if the deliveries were to get underway quickly, she says. The problem is that a lot of time has been lost because deliveries of heavier and more complex weapon systems and the necessary training for Ukrainian soldiers have not already started in March.
She also advocates Marten-to deliver armored personnel carriers directly to Ukraine. An exchange of rings with Greece planned by the federal government would take too long given the difficult development of the military situation in the east of the country for Ukraine. That’s why it must also be considered “to provide armored personnel carriers directly from the Bundeswehr’s stocks,” she said Süddeutsche Zeitungand not just release potential supplies by industry.
Giving up a middle two-digit number from the troops and replacing them as quickly as possible is possible without impairing Germany’s alliance and defense capabilities too severely. “Unfortunately, we cannot make up for lost time, but we must now do everything in our power to ensure that Ukraine can withstand the military superiority of the Russian invaders,” said the FDP politician. The Green Anton Hofreiter has also called for further concrete commitments for weapons aid.
Critics in their own ranks: Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and Anton Hofreiter (Greens).
(Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa)
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) rejects deliveries from Bundeswehr stocks because they can then no longer fully meet NATO requirements, including for the defense of the eastern flank. However, this would be a political decision that the federal government could make in consultation with NATO. According to the ministry, the responsibility for this lies with the Chancellery. There, however, Scholz sees himself in line with the wishes of Ukraine.
During his visit to Kyiv, he spoke specifically to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about “heavy artillery and ammunition,” said the German Press Agency. Because Ukraine needs them most urgently. It’s also about protection against rocket attacks – the federal government has the modern air defense system for that Iris-T SLM promised, plus anti-aircraft tanks of the type cheetah. the marten– Armored personnel carriers and Leopard-1-Battle tanks, which the Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk demands again and again for his country, are not what the leadership in Kyiv wants at the moment, Scholz told ARD.
In another conversation with the dpa, conducted in English, Scholz assured that the promised deliveries would arrive in time to support Ukraine in the fight for the Donbass. Defense Minister Lambrecht has announced that three multiple rocket launchers, which Germany has promised, could be delivered in July or August. Training should start at the end of June. Also the training at the cheetah– Panzers have already begun, it is said in Berlin. The one on the howitzer 2000 was extended at the request of Ukraine and is about to be completed. The guns are to be delivered in June.