Bundestag after Zelenskyj’s speech: Without words

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyj has spoken to the Bundestag in an impressive manner. But the parliament does not take up the debate – but gets bogged down in a discussion of the rules of procedure. Was that necessary?

The people of Ukraine certainly had more important things to do on this Thursday morning. more important to survive. The Russian army bombs their houses. They try to leave Mariupol. It is therefore extremely unlikely that the Bundestag website had too many hits from Ukraine.

It was probably better that the people there weren’t watching the live broadcast from the German parliament. It is quite possible that a feeling of astonishment would have set in – especially about the part after the speech by their president, when the Bundestag hit the undergrowth of a debate on the rules of procedure.

The Green parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann will later say that this discussion was “in no way appropriate” to the speech: “We should all evaluate today self-critically and ensure that such a process does not happen again.”

It had taken a few minutes longer for Volodymr Zelenskyj to appear on the large video screens in the plenary hall of the Reichstag building. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, the Green Vice-President of the Bundestag, gave the explanation: “The technical connections are currently not possible because there was an attack in Kyiv – in the immediate vicinity.” The delay in a video link to Berlin is one of the most harmless effects of Putin’s war.

Zelenskyy and the Wall

Selenskyj speaks calmly but resolutely. Sober hard. He clearly criticizes the federal government, whose members listen to the man who is connected. It is a haunting speech: “The occupiers killed 108 children in the middle of Europe, here in 2022.” The word “wall” runs through the speech as a red thread, “a wall in the middle of Europe between freedom and bondage”. Then he continues: “This wall gets bigger with every bomb that falls on Ukraine, with every decision not made.”

For example, the Ukrainian President criticizes Germany’s conduct on the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. Hesitation about possible accession to the European Union is also a “stone for the new wall.” Towards the end of the speech, he made an appeal to the German Chancellor: “Tear down this wall, support us.” Like everyone else, Olaf Scholz stands and claps.

Back to regular operation

Less than four minutes after the Ukrainian President got up and moved out of the picture, the German parliament switched to normal operation. Two MPs get birthday greetings. The agenda should continue with the subject of compulsory vaccination.

But before that, Zelensky’s speech still trembles – in the form of a discussion of the rules of procedure. The Union calls for a debate on the Ukraine war. Group leader Friedrich Merz says that right now after the speech is the time to take stock: “Are we actually in the right place today as the Federal Republic of Germany when it comes to this conflict?”

Representatives of the traffic light hold against it. Katja Mast, Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD parliamentary group, says Selenskyj’s words stand for themselves: “You deserve to be recognized for yourself.” The rejection stands: no further debate. Merz calls it “completely inappropriate”. The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen tweeted: “Today was the most undignified moment in the Bundestag that I have ever experienced.”

dispute over procedural issues

Parliament is not arguing about the matter per se, but about procedural issues. This raises questions: Wouldn’t it have made sense to combine yesterday’s debate about the war with the video message? On the other hand, the Union, which had previously unsuccessfully requested an accompanying government statement from the Federal Chancellor, approved this agenda for the Bundestag. Nevertheless, it was probably important for the group around Merz to put their own anger on the record in the plenum.

The bottom line is that the German parliament is slipping into a small-scale debate on this question of war and peace. Finally, the agenda continues with compulsory vaccination. The Chancellor now also speaks before meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Selenskyj spoke “with impressive words” in the Bundestag: “We stand on the side of Ukraine.” One would have liked to have asked Scholz again about this morning in Parliament. However, questions are not planned for this appointment in the Chancellery.