After the German government announced that it would support Ukraine with heavy weapons against Russia, the discussion about the right path in the Ukraine war continued. In the Bundestag session on Wednesday, in addition to the first consultations on the planned special fund of the Bundeswehr, the question of how arms can be made available to Ukraine should again be discussed.
In addition to a motion by the traffic light factions on the Ukraine war, the Union, the largest opposition faction, has also submitted a motion that goes much further in terms of the delivery of heavy weapons. Both motions are to be discussed in plenary this Thursday. The Union wants to clarify in negotiations with the coalition by then whether there can be a joint application, but is demanding changes to the traffic light paper.
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The support with Gepard anti-aircraft tanks and the training of soldiers was widely praised, but also caused resentment. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) criticized: “The federal government does not have a clear line: yesterday it warned of the Third World War when heavy weapons were delivered, today the delivery of Cheetah tanks is promised,” Wüst told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. (NOZ, Wednesday). He warns against adopting Putin’s narrative of a possible Third World War.
The chairwoman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), however, described the decision to deliver as a “really big step”. “And I really beg you not to say now: ‘It’s great that you’re doing this – but what else can you do?'”. That’s a huge step for the Federal Republic, as we never believed that we had to do anything like this to get into this situation at all,” she said on the “Welt” television channel.
The left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht, on the other hand, warned of a “nuclear inferno in Europe”. “It is completely irresponsible that the federal government is increasingly making Germany a party to the war by delivering the Gepard tanks and thus putting it in acute danger,” she told the “NOZ” (Wednesday). She campaigned for guaranteed neutrality for Ukraine, combined with Donbass autonomy. “The German government should do everything in its power to hold talks in this direction, together with other European governments, instead of pouring more and more fuel on the fire in the wake of the USA and risking a nuclear inferno in Europe.”
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In addition to the hotly debated arms deliveries, the special fund planned by the coalition in the amount of 100 billion euros to better equip the Bundeswehr should also be discussed. Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) had again requested changes to the traffic light template on Tuesday. According to reports, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to be present at the debate on the special fund and then leave for Japan as planned. CSU regional group chief Alexander Dobrindt said it was crucial for the Union that the 100 billion euros were only available for the Bundeswehr and defense.
The introduction of the special fund is to be ensured through an amendment to the Basic Law. The traffic light coalition also needs the Union for the necessary two-thirds majority in the Bundestag. Scholz had announced the rearmament of the Bundeswehr at the end of February as a consequence of the Russian attack on Ukraine. (dpa)
