“More weapons must come”
Habeck: SPD would like to stop arms deliveries
04/15/2022, 02:15 am
The question of the delivery of heavy military equipment to Ukraine splits the traffic light. While the FDP and the Greens clearly support them, the SPD around Chancellor Scholz is reluctant to make a decision. Vice Chancellor Habeck is pushing to increase the “quantity and quality” of the broadcasts.
Federal Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is pushing for an increase in arms deliveries to Ukraine. “More weapons must come,” said the Green politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “We cannot leave Ukraine alone in the war. They are also fighting for us. Ukraine must not lose, Putin must not win.” Germany has a duty to support with arms the people in Ukraine who are fighting back with courage and sacrifice.
“At the same time, we have a responsibility not to become a target ourselves. That is the framework within which we deliver everything that is possible.” So far, this framework has not included large tanks and combat aircraft. “Of course, brutalizing the war also means increasing the quantity and quality of arms deliveries.” That has to be discussed with the European partners and the NATO partners. No one can seriously assess whether Putin will stick to this framework.
“Therefore, we can only act to the best of our knowledge and belief – in line with reality. That is our responsibility.” According to the report, the chancellor party SPD would prefer not to deliver any more weapons at all. When asked whether his ministry would approve the export of Leopard 1 battle tanks from the armaments group Rheinmetall to Ukraine, Habeck said that these tanks were currently not ready for use. Their processing takes months. When it comes to short-term support, you have to fall back on stocks from other armies. “That can only be discussed in the EU and NATO alliance.”
Hofreiter: “The problem is in the Chancellery”
The Greens had previously distanced themselves from the criticism of their member of the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The chairman of the Europe Committee had accused SPD politician Scholz of lacking leadership in the Ukraine crisis. That was “not the line of Bündnis90/Die Grünen,” said party leader Omid Nouripour in Berlin. The coalition stands very close together in order to meet the immense current challenges.
Habeck also rejected Hofreiter’s criticism of the Chancellery. On the sidelines of an election campaign event in Kiel, Habeck said he expressly disagreed with Hofreiter. “A government works together. In times like these, it is extremely important that Germany does not allow itself to be divided.” In this respect, he finds Hofreiter’s statement wrong.
Hofreiter had previously called for Scholz to move in the Ukraine crisis. “The problem is in the Chancellery,” he said on Wednesday evening’s “RTL Direkt” program. “Now we must finally start providing Ukraine with what it needs, and that includes heavy weapons.” Germany must also stop blocking the energy embargo, especially for oil and coal. Hofreiter called for more leadership from Scholz in several interviews. Hofreiter recently traveled to Ukraine with two other politicians from the traffic light coalition and spoke to Ukrainian MPs in Lviv.