Berlin/Ramstein.
No Leopard tanks for Ukraine: The German blockade at the Ramstein summit has caused great irritation. The reactions.
The federal government says no: Ukraine will not receive Leopard 2 main battle tanks. That is the result of the Ukraine summit in Ramstein, West Palatinate, on Friday. Not only will Berlin not supply its own tanks of this type – as a manufacturing country, it also forbids other countries to send Leopards from their stocks to the embattled Ukraine. It is precisely this decision that has caused fierce criticism throughout Germany and internationally.
The Green politician Katrin Goering-Eckhardt expressed disappointment with the attitude of the federal government. “I would have wished that the German government had already cleared the way for the delivery of Leopard tanks this week,” the Vice President of the German Bundestag told our editorial team. “Ukraine is not only defending its own country, but also our freedom.” The 56-year-old also made it clear: “It’s not the West that is crossing a red line with martens or tanks for Ukraine. Putin crossed the red line nine years ago with the annexation of Crimea.” Also read: That’s why Ukraine really wants the Leopard tank
No Leopard tanks for Ukraine: Decision is “shameful”
Also the chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie Agnes Strack Zimmermann, took the German decision to court harshly. It would have been right to at least give Germany’s partners the green light, said Strack-Zimmermann on Friday evening in the “ZDF heute journal”https://www.waz.de/politik/.” That it didn’t come, that’s it not just sad,” she said. “History is looking at us, and unfortunately Germany just failed.” It was “shameful”.
She criticized the communication of the federal government in the Ukraine war. She is “simply miserable”https://www.waz.de/politik/.”If the chancellor doesn’t want that, then he has to explain it to us, explain it to the people.” From their point of view, they would Leopard tank come sooner or later anyway, even if Berlin does not take the lead. Vladimir Putin could rub his hands that day, she said.
German tank blockade: Melnyk gets angry on Twitter
The announcement by the new Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) that the Bundeswehr’s leopard stocks would first have to be checked – almost a year after the start of the war – provoked outrage and ridicule. Deputy Foreign Minister and former German Ambassador to Ukraine in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, raged about it on Twitter. “What are you supposed to check, Mr. Pistorius? Deliver! It’s a shame that the traffic light is so exposed.” Melnyk called on the federal government to stop “hiding behind Americans’ backs.” Also read: Ukraine war – Germany supplies so many weapons
The Baltic States reacted to the Berlin decision in a joint statement on Twitter. “We, the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, call on Germany to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine now. This is necessary to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and quickly restore peace in Europe,” it said on Saturday morning. “Germany, as the leading European power, bears a special responsibility.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will continue to fight for modern tanks. “But every day we make it even more obvious that there is no alternative to choosing tanks,” said Zelenskyj in his daily video message on Friday evening. Not everything that was discussed at the US airbase in Ramstein was intended for the public – he was optimistic that Ukraine would ultimately receive the main battle tanks.
Also read the comment: No tanks for the Ukraine – Germany’s game for time
Ukraine: Expert analyzes why Scholz does not want to send battle tanks
The security policy expert Minna Alander from the “Finnish Institute for International Affairs” analyzed on Twitter: “I think the key is closed Germany’s resistanceto deliver tanks, to lie in what Olaf Scholz always says: Ukraine shouldn’t lose and Russia shouldn’t win.” Instead, Ukraine should receive enough support to hold out until both sides negotiations be ready.
Scholz is not sure if a military victory Ukraine should be the goal at all. The reason, writes Alander: there are fears in Berlin that the consequences of a Russian defeat could be unpredictable and dangerous. This can be seen in all the military aid that Germany has given Ukraine so far: the equipment was used for defense, but not for (effective) counterattacks.
When Scholz says that Germany will support Ukraine for as long as necessary, he means: until negotiations are agreed. According to the interpretation, Ukraine’s military position must be strengthened to such an extent that Russia cannot dictate the conditions. With that look scholz also on polls, according to which most Germans see an end to the war through negotiations rather than through a military victory on the part of one side.
However, Alander’s analysis does not explain why Germany also prohibits other states from supplying Leopards. (mja/with material from dpa)
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