Merz even accuses Scholz of “hesitating” and “hesitating”.
Merz even accuses Scholz of “hesitating” and “hesitating”.
With a vast majority of 586 out of 736 possible votes, the German Bundestag decided on Thursday to expand equipment deliveries to Ukraine to “heavy weapons and complex systems”. That means: German tanks, howitzers and other war equipment must be used against Russian troops.
That temporarily ended a week-long debate over the pros and cons of stronger German military aid to Kiev. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) announced on Tuesday that she would deliver an “average” two-digit number of leftover anti-aircraft tanks from an industrial company.
The opposition parties CDU and CSU prepared their own demand for the delivery of heavy weapons, but later adhered to the government’s. Because several weeks of war elapsed before this agreement was reached in the Bundestag, opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in a speech of “hesitation”, “hesitation” and “anxiety”. The person approached was not present, but flew to visit Japan.
Unanswered Questions About the “Cheetah”
There are still unanswered questions about the already announced deliveries of the anti-aircraft tank “Gepard”, which has been advancing in recent years. Ukrainian soldiers must learn to deal with the complicated system on German soil. When and by whom is unclear.
A spokesman said the Bundeswehr only had “residual capabilities” to operate the devices that were retired twelve years ago. In addition to training, there also seem to be problems with ammo, which is hardly available. On both issues, the Bundeswehr referred to the arms industry, which had offered the “cheetah”.
(zoo)