Battle tanks for Ukraine?
“Leopard” becomes a crucial test for the traffic light
01/23/2023 03:11 am
Chancellor Scholz is sticking to his reluctant position on the delivery of battle tanks to Kyiv. Not only does he arouse the ire of his allies for this – now the mood within the traffic light coalition is also getting worse. Scholz is now criticized even in his own party.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been criticized internationally for his hesitation in supplying main battle tanks to Ukraine. Impatience is also growing in their own coalition. From the ranks of the FDP, Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai Scholz calls for a quick decision on the “Leopard” battle tank deliveries, without naming the chancellor personally. “The war is entering a decisive phase,” Djir-Sarai told the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”. “Ukraine urgently needs further military support. Anyone who does not want Ukraine to lose this war must act quickly,” he said, referring to the chancellor.
The FDP defense politician Alexander Müller expressed his incomprehension about the announcement by the new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius that availability would first have to be checked. “Apparently the new defense minister in Ramstein was not aware that there was already an availability list for the ‘Leopard’ tanks,” Müller told Der Spiegel. As a result, Pistorius must now find out why this was not told him, after all the new minister needs “complete trust in the generals and the leadership of the ministry”.
“Hesitation plays into the hands of war criminal Putin”
Green security politician Agnieszka Brugger also warns against delaying the decision for too long. “We now need a quick decision on the delivery of battle tanks and this should be made together with our European partners,” said the Green security politician to the “Spiegel”.
Brugger had already sharply criticized the delay in the “Leopard” deliveries after the Ukraine supporters’ conference in Ramstein. “Our hesitation plays into the hands of the war criminal Putin, who is meanwhile preparing a new, terrible offensive against the innocent people of Ukraine,” she said. The Greens chairman Omid Nouripour is also pushing for the federal government to take a quick position on the issue. If states in the European Union ask for a delivery permit, “then they deserve a quick answer,” said Nouripour on ARD in the evening. At the same time, he stressed the importance of international coordination on the issue of arms deliveries.
There are also MPs in the SPD who are in favor of a quick decision. “In this phase of the war, there must be no uncertainty about the pending decisions on the tank issue,” defense politician Andreas Schwarz told Der Spiegel. “These must now be prepared and taken quickly.” The western world is waiting for a German yes or no, says Schwarz. “We owe this to Ukraine and to trusting the Western Alliance in our new leadership role.”
Traffic light works “constructively and coordinated”
However, Scholz also got support – from the deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese. He called for critical statements from the traffic light coalition not to be overrated. “Within the traffic light coalition, we are working together constructively and in a coordinated manner under the leadership of the Federal Chancellor in this challenging situation. However, individual deviations should not be overestimated,” said Wiese of the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”.
“Rather, you should now keep your nerve and not make decisions based on gut feeling,” advised Wiese. “All current measures serve the purpose of prudent and preparatory planning in the event of a possible decision to deliver ‘Leopards’, but do not anticipate this decision. This is being done in close coordination within the alliance and with the clear red line that NATO will not become a party to the war . Hasty going it alone would be the opposite of acting responsibly in these times,” said the SPD politician