Other countries such as Poland also need permission from Berlin to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Kyiv. But Germany still owes it.
Differences within the German semaphore government over the supply of main battle tanks to Ukraine are turning into a tangible coalition dispute. Defense committee chair Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich delivered a violent public exchange of blows with mutual accusations on Saturday. SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert complained of “excessive criticism” on Sunday
On Twitter, Strack-Zimmermann described Mützenich as “the symbol of all the central flaws in German foreign policy”. She wrote: “His views of yesterday lead to tomorrow’s problems. He is no longer able to adapt his worldview to reality.”
Of “rituals of outrage” and “gasp”
On Friday, Strack-Zimmermann attacked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the ZDF’s “heute journal”, which in turn triggered a violent reaction from Mützenich. “Mrs. Strack-Zimmermann and others are convincing us to get into a military conflict. The same people who are calling for going it alone with heavy main battle tanks today will be screaming for planes or troops tomorrow,” said Mützenich of the Security Agency. German Press. “Wartime politics in Europe is not done in the style of indignation or breathless rituals, but with clarity and reason.”
Strack-Zimmermann described the communication, especially from Scholz, on the issue of tank deliveries to Ukraine as a “catastrophe”, because on the one hand Germany is giving massive support to Ukraine, but the lack of a decision on tanks of war gives a different impression. Scholz remains guilty of explanations.
“History is looking back on us and, unfortunately, Germany simply failed,” said the FDP politician, referring to the German government’s pending decision on the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Kyiv. On Friday, the allies gathered for a conference on Ukraine in Ramstein, where billions more in aid for the country attacked by Russia were agreed. New Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) announced on the sidelines of the meeting that the availability and number of Leopard tanks would be checked.
Countries need permission from Berlin
“At least one signal would have been right to give the partners the green light,” said Strack-Zimmermann. By that she meant the desire of countries like Poland to deliver their own German-made Leopard-2 to Ukraine. For this they need a permit from Berlin. However, she is sure that Leopard 2 tanks will eventually be delivered to Ukraine.
Green Bundestag vice-president Katrin Göring-Eckardt was also disappointed. “I wish the German government had already cleared the way for the delivery of Leopard tanks this week,” she told the Funke media group (Sunday). “This is urgently needed in Ukraine. Ukraine is not only defending its own country, but also our freedom.”
His party colleague, the chairman of the Committee for Europe in the German Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, demanded that the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Leopard begin “now” so that there are no more delays.
Mützenich emphasized that the security policy is not limited to the delivery of weapons. “Close coordination with the world’s military power US and the attempt to engage the growing power of order in China is critical to a resilient end to the war in Ukraine.” Scholz met both claims from the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine. He also warned of a new Cold War. “The consequences would be countless old and new wars, also in Europe, with all the terrible consequences.”
SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert, on the other hand, has complained of “excessive criticism and personal hostility” that threatens to drive the political discourse on German aid to Ukraine ever further away from the facts, Künert told the “Rheinische Post” (Sunday). “Our support will be greater if we maintain a balance between the two perspectives and put aside personal animosities,” he explains, referring to the traffic light coalition’s criticism of Scholz.
(APA/dpa/Portal)