Berlin The Greens and FDP are keeping up the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on the issue of supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine. At the same time, the traffic light coalition does not want to be driven by the Union.
In an interview with “Spiegel”, Scholz promoted his position on Ukraine politics. The top priority is to prevent the war from spreading to NATO. “There must be no nuclear war,” emphasized the head of government. “I am doing everything to prevent an escalation leading to a third world war.”
Strack-Zimmermann said on ZDF on Sunday that Germany must take a leading role with regard to the Ukraine war. “Those who don’t want to take on this role may be in the wrong place at the wrong moment,” she added. However, she contradicted the interpretation that she was indirectly calling for the chancellor’s resignation.
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Criticism also comes from the Union. CDU leader Friedrich Merz accused Scholz in the “Bild am Sonntag” of throwing “one smokescreen after the other”. “He covers it up, he doesn’t say anything, he only tells half the truth.” Criticism abroad is growing and Germany is increasingly isolated, criticized Merz: “We Germans in particular have reason and reason enough to leave no doubt that we are ready are to defend freedom in Europe – and this is what this war is about – to the best of our ability.”
The party leader also threatened not to approve the planned 100 billion euro special fund to strengthen the Bundeswehr. “If the chancellor wants to persuade us to change the Basic Law and for 100 billion euros in new debt, then he has to talk to us,” said Merz. He demanded that the sum should only benefit the equipment of the Bundeswehr and that at least two percent of economic output should be spent on defense on a permanent basis.
On the issue of arms delivery, the Union wants to put pressure on the traffic light with its own motion, which according to parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul (CDU) is to be voted on in the Bundestag next week. Even if the SPD, Greens and FDP disagree on this issue, they are unanimous in criticizing the Union’s approach.
>> Read the opinions of our readers here: Should Germany supply heavy weapons to Ukraine?
“I don’t think much of the Union’s plans for an application for heavy arms deliveries,” said Green politician Hofreiter, the Handelsblatt. “For me, he is motivated by party tactics.” Hofreiter is one of the most prominent supporters of the delivery of heavy weapons. Nevertheless, he could not imagine that the Greens would gather behind the Union application, he said. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, who spoke of a “riot course” by the Union, made a similar statement.
Merz and the Union increase the pressure on the traffic light government
(Photo: action press)
After the lost federal elections, the Union had identified internal and external security as the areas where the traffic lights were most likely to be vulnerable. This strategy did not seem to work after Scholz announced support for Ukraine and the strengthening of the Bundeswehr in his “Zeitenwende” speech in the Bundestag at the end of February. The CDU and CSU see new opportunities to put pressure on the traffic light due to the hesitant attitude that is widespread, especially in the SPD, on the question of arms deliveries and reluctance to increase the defense budget permanently.
>> Read here: Bundeswehr: Decision for the new heavy transport helicopter should be made soon
FDP leader Christian Lindner accused the Union of playing a “dangerous game” at the FDP party conference in Berlin. “In times of war in Europe, I have no sympathy for this form of partisan political maneuvering,” said Lindner, who was connected from Washington because of a corona quarantine. One thing is clear: Ukraine needs military aid and heavy weapons. The FDP called for the delivery of heavy weapons from Germany to Ukraine by party congress resolution.
The country must be supported quickly and effectively in fending off the Russian war of aggression, according to a motion by the Federal Executive Committee, which, according to the party congress presidium, was passed with an “overwhelming majority”. “This also includes the delivery of heavy weapons and the rapid provision of armaments by German industry, for which Germany, as announced, will provide the financing,” the decision said.
Schroeder does not want to resign
An interview by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, which the New York Times published on Saturday, also comes at the wrong time for the SPD. For weeks, the party has had to defend itself against accusations that it has placed too much emphasis on rapprochement with Russia in recent decades, while ignoring risks. Schröder is the head of the supervisory board at the Russian state energy giant Rosneft and most recently also worked for the pipeline companies Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2.
In the interview, Schröder made it clear that despite the war he did not want to give up his post for the time being and that he did not want to break away from Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Schröder said he would only consider resigning if Putin turned off the gas for Germany and the European Union. However, he does not expect this scenario. Putin is interested in ending the war. “But it’s not that easy. There are a few points that need to be clarified,” said Schröder.
Regarding the massacre in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, he said: “It needs to be investigated.” However, he does not believe that the orders came from Putin, but from lower levels. Hundreds of dead civilians, some of whom were tortured, were found in the town after it was liberated by Ukrainian troops from the Russian occupation. According to human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, they have collected numerous pieces of evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Numerous NATO countries still have plenty of material from the Soviet era.
(Photo: Reuters)
Chancellor Scholz and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) recently brought up an “exchange of rings” on the issue of the delivery of heavy weapons. Western states that still have weapons systems from Soviet times should deliver them to Ukraine. Germany would then help to gradually fill in the gaps that have arisen. According to Lambrecht, this would have the advantage of giving Ukrainian soldiers material they are familiar with; they don’t need to be trained first.
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy detailed in a video message which systems would help his country. He mentioned heavy battle tanks like the Soviet T-72 or comparable Western models, infantry fighting vehicles and armored troop carriers, artillery or rocket launchers.
Such weapon systems are still numerous in former Warsaw Pact states, as a current list by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) shows.
For example, Poland still has 318 main battle tanks of the type T-72 and 232 of the further developed version PT-91 Twardy. According to the IISS, there are still almost 90 T-72s in storage in the Czech Republic. The Grad rocket launchers mentioned by Zelenski are still in stock in Poland, Bulgaria and Croatia. Soviet-era self-propelled artillery is also still available.
>> Watch the video here: How Secretary of Defense Christine Lambrecht explains the “ring swap”.
Most of the systems are still in use with the armies of the former Warsaw Pact countries. So they cannot be handed over without further ado if the countries do not want to jeopardize their own ability to defend themselves or their ability to join NATO alliances – an argument that Defense Minister Lambrecht also uses against further deliveries of weapons from Bundeswehr stocks.
The stocks would then have to be quickly replenished by other countries. For example, Slovenia is to receive Marder armored personnel carriers and Fuchs wheeled armored vehicles from Germany as replacements for T-72 tanks that have been delivered. However, this is a completely different category of weapons.
Modern equipment such as the Leopard 2 battle tank or the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, which is intended to replace the outdated Marder in the German armed forces, should therefore also be on Slovenia’s wish list.
Swiss government prohibits transfer of ammunition
In order not to further weaken the Bundeswehr, industry should primarily supply the material for the “ring exchange”. The armaments group Rheinmetall and other companies have already offered to repair older Leopard 1 battle tanks or Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
These could then be delivered to NATO allies. The federal government has so far ruled out a direct delivery to Ukraine – also out of concern that Germany could become involved in the war. According to a report in the Swiss “Sonntags-Zeitung”, there could also be another reason. Accordingly, the government in Bern has banned the transfer of Swiss-made ammunition for the marten to Ukraine.
A spokesman for the Swiss government told the newspaper that two requests from Germany for the transfer of Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine were rejected, among other things with reference to Swiss neutrality.
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