SPD disagrees on arms deliveries
Instead of Steinmeier: Ukraine invites Scholz
4/13/2022 5:23 am
The Federal President is not wanted in Kyiv, but the Chancellor would be happy to welcome him. Especially if he doesn’t come empty-handed. While the Greens’ top personnel are in favor of the rapid delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, many in the SPD are struggling.
After refusing a visit from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Ukraine has invited Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv. “We also communicated that my President and the government would be very happy if Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv,” said the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, on ProSieben. The visit should be about how Germany can help Ukraine with heavy weapons in the fight against Russia. “My president is looking forward to that,” said Melnyk.
The Ukrainian government had previously rejected Steinmeier’s visit to the capital. “I was willing to do that. But obviously – and I have to admit – that was not wanted in Kyiv,” said the Federal President during a visit to Warsaw. A joint solidarity visit was planned with the heads of state of Poland and the three Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. But that is no longer the case.
After the diplomatic affront, the deputy FDP chairman Wolfgang Kubicki ruled out a trip by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv for the time being. “I can’t imagine the chancellor of a government supported by the FDP traveling to a country that declared our country’s head of state an undesirable person,” said Kubicki.
Melnyk: Government should give up “blockade attitude”.
Ukraine is demanding heavy weapons such as battle tanks, artillery pieces and air defense systems from Germany. Many other states within NATO, such as the Czech Republic, have already opted for the delivery of heavy weapons, stressed Melnyk. “We therefore hope that the same decision will soon be made in the traffic light coalition and that this blocking attitude will be abandoned.” Chancellor Scholz has so far been reluctant to respond to such questions.
The demands are being heard by the Greens. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has spoken out in favor of the delivery of heavy weapons, while Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is stepping up the pace. “It’s no use if we say: You’ll get something in nine months. Now the stuff has to go down there. And that’s how we act,” said the Minister of Economics responsible for arms exports, also on ProSieben. However, he did not say what exactly should be delivered.
Three leading parliamentarians from the traffic light coalition, who visited Lviv in western Ukraine on Tuesday, spoke out in favor of further arms deliveries, the fastest possible ban on Russian oil imports and clear EU prospects for Ukraine. “There should be a broad majority in the Bundestag for this. Germany must assume even more responsibility,” says a joint statement by the chairmen of the Bundestag committees for foreign affairs, defense and Europe, Michael Roth, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and Anton Hofreiter.
Criticism of Steinmeier’s unloading
The members of the Bundestag, however, criticized Steinmeier’s invitation by the government in Kyiv. This step is incomprehensible. “Right now it’s important to stay in touch.” The three politicians held talks with members of the Ukrainian Parliament Rada on Tuesday. It was the highest-ranking German visit to Ukraine since the war began seven weeks ago.
The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter also called for rapid arms deliveries. “I think the proposal to speed up the delivery by first delivering operational Bundeswehr stocks and then replenishing the Bundeswehr stocks in the coming months makes sense,” he told the editorial network Germany. “Specifically, there is an offer from the industry to be able to deliver Leopard 1 battle tanks or Marder infantry fighting vehicles at short notice, also in a rotation process with Bundeswehr stocks.”
There are also skeptical voices from the SPD. Bundestag deputy Joe Weingarten, a member of the defense committee, told the “Welt”: “We must not allow ourselves to be gradually driven into a war with Russia. If we deliver heavy weapons, the question quickly arises as to whether German trainers or volunteers are also needed from Germany who operate the systems.” SPD faction deputy Detlef Müller said that the delivery of heavy weapons was “currently not an option”. “People are afraid of being dragged directly into a war, that’s the clear echo from my constituency.”
According to the report, SPD MP Axel Schäfer said: “We think very differently on this topic today than we did six weeks ago. Now everything must be done to ensure that Ukraine can win this war. This also includes Germany supplying heavy weapons. ” He does not believe that this will fail because of the SPD.