Ukraine war
Weapons deliveries: Gauck accuses the federal government of hesitancy
“Irritation arises when the government’s hesitation not only reduces Ukraine’s chances, but also increases the threat to the free world”: former Federal President Joachim Gauck. photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
In its defense against Russia, Ukraine is dependent on support from other countries. Is the federal government doing enough here? Former Federal President Gauck and other critics doubt this.
Former Federal President Joachim Gauck told the federal government that he was hesitant about supplying weapons to the Ukraine accused. “In view of the grueling trench warfare and the heinous air strikes on the Ukrainian civilian population, I look at our actions with concern and ask myself whether our support is enough,” he told “Bild am Sonntag”.
Gauck said he had spoken to experts in response to a question about the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles requested by Ukraine. “And after these discussions, I can no longer understand why we hesitate to deliver this weapon and other ammunition.”
Scholz does not want to deliver any Taurus cruise missiles for the time being
The Taurus is one of the Air Force’s most modern missiles. The weapons find their target even from great heights and distances and can destroy bunkers, for example. At the beginning of October, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) decided not to deliver any Taurus cruise missiles for the time being. The fear behind this was that Russian territory could also be hit by the precision weapons with a range of 500 kilometers.
“The Chancellor has to ask himself again and again whether he is not falling short of his stated claim of doing everything to ensure that Russia does not achieve a peace victory,” said Gauck. “Irritation arises when the government’s hesitation not only reduces Ukraine’s chances, but also increases the threat to the free world.”
Demands from other politicians too
CSU leader Markus Söder also called for cruise missiles to be delivered to Ukraine on Saturday before the opening of the CSU Bundestag members’ retreat in the Upper Bavarian monastery of Seeon. It is “the only serious chance for Ukraine to find new courage and for the Russians not to win.” Germany and the EU are threatened with a “veritable security problem” if Russia wins the war and at the same time the USA withdraws further from international crises in the future.
Politicians from the Greens, FDP and CDU emphasized the need for these weapons in the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” (Saturday) and made some serious accusations against Scholz.
“The delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is long overdue,” said Sara Nanni, defense policy spokeswoman for the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag. “The reluctance comes primarily from the Chancellor and is not a general attitude of the federal government.”
FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said about arms deliveries and with a view to Russian President Vladimir Putin: “We must not be afraid of our own courage. Putin hopes for that.” Germany must finally deliver the Taurus in order to interrupt the Russian supply lines.
Kiesewetter: Russia sees itself strengthened
CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter said that Russia saw itself strengthened by the weakness of the West and the lack of Taurus deliveries. “Therefore, the lack of support is not just a failure to provide assistance, which increases the number of Ukrainian victims, but is de facto support for Russia.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine wants to massively increase its arms production despite the ongoing Russian air strikes, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. “We are working as hard as possible to ensure that our defense and security forces can rely on our own Ukrainian production for a significant part of their operations this year,” Zelensky said in his daily video address on Saturday evening.