role in the Ukraine conflict
Union criticizes Minister Lambrecht as a “failure”
1/31/2022 8:34 am
In the dispute with Russia, the defense minister does not cut a good figure from the point of view of the CDU and CSU. Lambrecht is disappearing, criticizes Union defense expert Hahn. He describes the fact that Germany wants to deliver 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine as “a non-starter”.
The role of the German federal government in the Ukraine conflict causes a lack of understanding among the CDU and CSU. The defense policy spokesman for the Union faction, Florian Hahn, accuses Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht of hiding in the dispute with Russia. “The Minister of Defense is a failure in the current situation,” Hahn told the Funke media group. “It seems to me that the Minister of Defense has not yet fulfilled her task as the holder of the authority to command and command one of the largest armed forces in Europe.”
According to Western sources, Russia has massed more than 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border. The West is therefore concerned that the Russian leadership is preparing to invade the neighboring country after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The Kremlin denies any plans to attack, but at the same time argues that it feels threatened by Ukraine and NATO. President Vladimir Putin is therefore demanding written commitments from NATO, for example to refrain from further eastward expansion. The US and its western allies reject this.
Helmet delivery a “pipe burst”
CSU defense expert Hahn accused Lambrecht of failing to contact her Ukrainian counterpart. The defense expert criticized the fact that the minister was absent from a Bundestag debate on the conflict last Thursday. “I wonder how seriously the government is taking this crisis.”
Hahn told the Funke media group that Lambrecht’s announcement that Germany wanted to deliver 5,000 military helmets to the Ukraine was “nonsense” and insufficient. “That’s how it was received in Ukraine,” said the CSU politician. “The government has failed in trying to send a strong signal of support to Ukraine.”
Hahn also criticized the fact that the federal government has so far clearly rejected arms deliveries to Ukraine. “It is unacceptable that the traffic light government is taking the leverage of arms deliveries off the table at this point in time.” It is known that Germany is always very skeptical about arms deliveries. “However, the arms deliveries to the Kurdish Peshmerga have shown that this can make sense in exceptional cases. So it must also be an option to support Ukraine.” Ukraine has repeatedly asked Germany for arms supplies.