“Hard but fair”: Heavy weapons for Ukraine? FDP politician hesitates

The TV Debate

“Hard but fair”
War reporter calls for heavy weapons for Ukraine – FDP politician finds only weak excuses

As the first head of government in the EU, Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer traveled to Moscow on Monday to speak with Vladimir Putin. The meeting was “not a friendly visit,” Nehammer said. However, the chancellor was unable to bring back good news. He has “no optimistic impression”. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is pushing for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. It remains questionable whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will also support this demand. “What has to happen for the war to end?” Frank Plasberg asked his guests this question on Monday evening at “Hart aber fair”.

Guest at “Hard but fair”:

Lambsdorff criticizes Austria’s chancellor for meeting with Putin

The journalist Petra Pinzler has the impression that six weeks after his speech in the Bundestag, when he heralded the “turn of the era”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has become quite quiet as soon as the Ukraine war is discussed. FDP politician Alexander Graf Lamsbdorff sees it differently. Olaf Scholz is not a man who makes a show. Lambsdorff then proceeded almost immediately to a tip against the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Lambsdorff found his meeting with Putin “not particularly clever”.

War reporter Christoph Reuter urgently demands weapons for Ukraine

Christoph Reuter from “Spiegel” was connected to the studio from a hotel in Kyiv. Despite the shaky internet connection, the war reporter impressively described his observations from the Ukraine. “Putin’s troops are acting like terrorists, not like an army,” Reuter said. He would never have thought such a war in Europe possible and compares the actions of the Russian army with those of terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State. One thing seems clear to Reuter: Ukraine must get weapons quickly. The reporter was aware that such statements would sound outdated, but Putin started with this anachronism.

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (FDP) is firmly convinced that the decision in this war must be made “on the battlefield”. The traffic light government has understood that Ukraine is also fighting for our freedom and security. When asked about the delivery of tanks to Ukraine, however, the FDP politician remains cautious, pointing out that the tanks “do not work as easily as cars”. The Ukrainian armed forces would have to be trained accordingly before using the tanks. Besides, Germany is not alone anyway. The United States had again announced a huge arms shipment. Ultimately, these words only sound like excuses to justify the government’s hesitant action.

What about economic weapons?

Of course, there is one topic that shouldn’t be left out when German talk shows are about the Ukraine war: the question of the gas embargo. As if this question hadn’t already been chewed through hundreds of times with an open mind, that evening Plasberg wanted to know once again whether Germany shouldn’t stop supplying Russian gas immediately. Lambsdorff also had an excuse for that. “No one wants more economic relations with Russia,” said the FDP parliamentary group leader. In terms of gas, however, these relationships still have to be maintained.

Green member Ralf Fücks probably caused the biggest laugh of the evening when he gave Lambsdorff the well-intentioned advice to stop gas deliveries and to decide on a program with one million additional heat pumps and to increase the KfW loans for building insulation. “That sounds like a belated green election program in times of crisis,” Plasberg summed up aptly.

But is the question of the gas embargo currently the most pressing in view of what is happening in Ukraine? This is clearly not the case for war reporter Christoph Reuter. The journalist interestingly notes that even Ukraine has not stopped supplies of Russian gas. For Reuter it is still clear that the most important thing is military help. The question of a gas boycott, on the other hand, is not nearly as important for the people of Ukraine.