According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Germany would not oppose tank deliveries from third countries to Ukraine. “We have not been asked so far and (…) if we were asked, we would not stand in the way of that,” said the Green politician on Sunday evening to the French broadcaster LCI.
Baerbock answered the question of what would happen if Poland delivered Leopard tanks to Ukraine. In order to supply German tanks to other countries, Germany actually has to approve it.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had announced that he would, if necessary, deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine without Germany’s consent. He told the PAP news agency on Sunday: “We will not stand by and watch Ukraine bleed dry. Ukraine and Europe will win this war – with or without Germany.”
If there is no early agreement with Germany, Poland will form a “smaller coalition” with other countries. These countries would then begin supplying some of their Leopard tanks to Ukraine without German approval.
The federal government has not yet made a decision on the delivery of German battle tanks to Ukraine. Nor has it issued any delivery permits to other countries for the tanks produced in Germany.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday evening on the ARD program “Anne Will” that the careful coordination process with the partners is ongoing. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil pointed out the support already provided for Ukraine.
SPD representatives urge prudence
Other leading SPD representatives also backed the chancellor. Statements by coalition members in recent weeks about the chancellor have weakened the policies of the federal government, said SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich on Sunday evening in the ZDF “heute journal”. “I held back for a long time, but I found this criticism at the weekend, especially from a colleague who is after all the chair of the Defense Committee, excessive.”
FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann publicly attacked Scholz sharply. She described the Chancellor’s communication on the tank issue as a “disaster”.
Mützenich then warned against a policy of gasping. He said on ZDF: “The Chancellor bears the responsibility and not those who tweet day in and day out and give any advice. I believe that the Federal Chancellor also carries out his duties very clearly, but also in a very balanced manner.”
However, Scholz and the SPD also received pressure from the other coalition partner, the Greens. The deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese also protected Scholz. He told the “Rheinische Post” (Monday): “Within the traffic light coalition, we are working together in a constructive and coordinated manner under the leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in this challenging situation. However, one should not overestimate individual deviations either.”
Wiese added: “Rather, one should now keep one’s nerves and not make decisions based on gut feeling.”
Opposition sees traffic lights in the separation process
The First Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei, sees the coalition breaking up. “The scenes that are currently taking place in the traffic light coalition are reminiscent of divorce proceedings,” Frei told the “Bild” newspaper (Monday).
The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen told the newspaper: “FDP and Greens must ask themselves whether they are prepared to take responsibility for this failure against their own convictions.” The alliance blockade by Scholz and the SPD means “that Germany in a historic test of the war in Europe failed at a crucial point”.
In mid-January, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) was basically open to Poland’s plans to supply Ukraine with Leopard main battle tanks made in Germany. Germany should “not stand in the way when other countries make decisions to support Ukraine,” said Habeck.
Even after the Franco-German summit in Paris on Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz still did not indicate when he would make his decision on the delivery of German battle tanks to Ukraine and what he would make it dependent on. French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the delivery of Leclerc main battle tanks, but did not want to commit himself either. (dpa)
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