Once again kyiv is losing patience with Berlin. As it has already done on several occasions since the start of the war, the Ukrainian government once again reproached Germany, on Tuesday, September 13, for its lack of military support: “Disappointing signals from Germany when Ukraine needs [chars] Leopard and Marder now to liberate his people and save them from genocide”tweeted the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, before driving the point home: “There are no rational arguments as to why such armaments cannot be delivered, only abstract fears and excuses. What does Berlin fear that kyiv does not fear? »
The Ukrainian government is not alone in growing impatient. Within his own coalition, the Social Democratic (SPD) Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is urged by his Green and Liberal (FDP) partners to speed up arms deliveries in order to help the Ukrainian troops in their reconquest of the territories. occupied by Russia.
“Now is not the time to procrastinate”
“It is now, before winter, that everything must be done to allow Ukraine to free itself. However, everyone knows, in the government, that we could do more.said the president of the Greens, Omid Nouripour, on Monday, daily Augsburger Allgemeine. “Now is not the time to procrastinate. Germany must immediately contribute to Ukraine’s success by supplying armored fighting vehicles of the Marder and Leopard 2 type”supported the president of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), on Sunday, at the DPA agency.
To the reproaches of kyiv and its environmentalist and liberal allies, Olaf Scholz replied on Monday that the armaments supplied by Germany since the beginning of the war – among which appear in particular forty Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, ten PzH 2000 armored howitzers or even three Mars II multiple rocket launchers – “contributed to the fact that it is now possible to envisage a positive outcome to the battle being waged on the eastern front” from Ukraine.
Asked whether Berlin was ready to deliver Marder or Leopard type battle tanks as well, the Chancellor did not give a clear answer. “From the beginning, the government has been on the same position, and this will not change in the future, namely that there is no isolated action on the part of Germany”, did he declare. Its defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, made the same response, assuring that Germany’s position on combat tanks was in line with that of its allies, in particular the Americans. “I did not feel that the United States had changed its mind on the issue”she said on Monday, referring to the meeting “contact group on Ukraine”which was held on September 8 at the German base of Ramstein, in the presence in particular of the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin.
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