"Reputation shattered" – Hofreiter criticizes Scholz for course in Leopard deliveries

Germany

Should Germany supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine? This has been discussed for months. The new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) recently announced that he wanted to check the Bundeswehr stocks of the popular tank type. So far, the federal government has not decided to deliver, within the traffic light parties there is a riot.

And there’s continued mounting criticism for hesitancy on the issue of Leopard shipments. This is also aimed at Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who continues to remain silent on the subject. FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, for example, called the chancellor’s communication on the tank issue a “catastrophe”. Green politician Anton Hofreiter also finds clear words.

Olaf Scholz (SPD) is criticized for hesitating about Leopard deliveries.Image: AP / Virginia Mayo / dpa

Anton Hofreiter sharply criticizes Scholz for hesitant action

The foreign policy expert accuses Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) of damaging Germany’s reputation by hesitating in the delivery of Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine. “We caused a lot of damage, especially in Eastern and Central Europe, but also in other countries and now also internationally.”Hofreiter said on the Phoenix television station on Monday.

The Greens politician pointed out that Germany had already delivered a large number of weapons to Ukraine. He said:

He emphasized that Greens and FDP agree in the coalition on the question of tank deliveries.

Scholz sets the condition for Leopard delivery

Last week it was reported that the chancellor would be willing to supply Leopard tanks, but only on one condition: the US should in turn provide Ukraine with its own Abrams main battle tanks. Hofreiter finds it particularly incomprehensible that Scholz makes a Leopard delivery dependent on this. This led to “very great irritation” among the allies.

Although the United States has planned large arms deliveries to Ukraine, approval for the delivery of Abrams tanks is not expected, it said last week.

The US does not consider providing their Abrams to be useful for practical reasons. The tanks would first have to be transported across the Atlantic, maintenance is more complex and they consume too much fuel, they say. The tanks require jet fuel, kerosene, not diesel like the Leopard and many of the Ukrainians’ companions.

(With material from afp and dpa)