The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has again addressed the traffic light government. He denounced slow arms shipments. Reactions from Germany to the Ukraine war in the news ticker.
- “Putin’s calculation”: A German ex-ambassador sees a “new hybrid warfare” against Europe.
- Because of the slow delivery of arms to Ukraine CDU leader Friedrich Merz attacks the traffic light government again.
- Arms deliveries to Ukraine: Kiesewetter accuses Scholz of “playing for time”.
- This News ticker on reactions from Germany to the Russia-Ukraine war is continuously updated.
Arms deliveries to Ukraine: SPD parliamentary group criticizes Strack-Zimmermann’s criticism
Update from May 23, 9:49 am: FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has accused the federal government of being hesitant to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine. She has now renewed her criticism. In an interview with RTL/n-tv, Strack-Zimmermann admitted that a lead time was required for arms deliveries, but added: “The annoying thing is that you could have started weeks ago. That’s actually the bitter part.”
The FDP politician again called for a “coordinator” for the arms deliveries – and also for better communication about arms deliveries from the Chancellery, “so that the impression is not given that we are not doing anything here”. She described the previous communication as manageable and in need of improvement. However, it is not unusual that the arms deliveries did not take place so quickly. The equipment had to be set up and prepared, and soldiers had to be trained. That takes time, says Strack-Zimmermann.
According to a report by Süddeutsche Zeitung there is dissatisfaction with the criticism in the SPD parliamentary group. “Ms. Strack-Zimmermann runs the business of the opposition: her daily criticism damages the reputation of her own government,” said SPD MP Axel Schäfer, according to the newspaper. Strack-Zimmermann is chair of the defense committee.
War in Ukraine: Justice Minister Buschmann worried about Mariupol prisoners of war
Update from May 23, 6:13 a.m: Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann has expressed concern about the prisoners of war in Mariupol. “Russia’s massive violations of international law are completely unacceptable – but they also fill us with great concern with regard to the population of Ukraine and the soldiers who have now been taken prisoner,” said the FDP politician Rheinische Post.
Germany and the Ukraine war: Kiesewetter accuses Scholz of playing for time when it comes to arms deliveries
Update from May 22, 11:00 p.m.: The CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter has massively criticized the course taken by the federal government in the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia. He accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of hesitation and playing for time on Sunday evening in the ARD talk show “Anne Will”. “The German industry already made it clear on February 28th that they could very quickly upgrade around 100 Leopards and around 100 Martens. No order to date.”
When asked why the Chancellor wasn’t doing this, Kiesewetter said: “I think he’s playing for time.” The CDU politician added: “The longer this war lasts and we don’t deliver, the more difficult it will be for Ukraine. The words after an armistice, that is, a freeze on Russian profits, become all the louder.” Kiesewetter continued: “I’m afraid that the Federal Chancellor doesn’t want Ukraine to win this war. Wins in the sense that the Russian troops are driven out of the country.”
Reactions from Germany: Merz goes to Olaf Scholz
Update from May 22, 7:58 p.m.: The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has again denounced the course of the federal government in supplying arms to Ukraine to ward off the Russian attack. “The Federal Republic of Germany has not delivered any heavy weapons to this day,” said Merz in an interview broadcast on Sunday evening on the ZDF program “Berlin direct”. Others have been doing more for a long time. “If everyone behaved like the Federal Republic of Germany, the Russian army would have taken Kyiv long ago.”
The opposition and representatives of Ukraine have repeatedly accused the German government of being hesitant to deliver heavy weapons. Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for German leadership at the weekend. Chancellor Olaf Scholz had repeatedly rejected allegations of hesitancy, referred to the support provided so far and at the same time rejected “hasty action”.
“Putin’s calculus”: Germany’s ex-ambassador declares “new hybrid warfare” by Russia against Europe
First report from May 22, 2022:
Berlin – The long-standing German ambassador to Russia, Rüdiger von Fritsch, accuses Moscow of using the global supply crisis caused by the Ukraine war and the resulting threat of refugee movements as a means of warfare. “Vladimir Putin is specifically trying to create hunger crises in the Middle East and North Africa,” said von Fritsch in Berlin daily mirror about the Russian head of state. That is why Russia is preventing Ukraine from exporting grain and even bombing grain silos.
Ukraine war: German ex-ambassador explains Russia’s calculations
“Putin’s calculus is that after grain supplies collapse, starving people will flee these regions and try to get to Europe – like the millions of Syrians who fled the horrors of war did then,” said von Fritsch, who informed Putin in met in person several times in the past. “With new streams of refugees, he wants to destabilize Europe and build up political pressure so that Western countries give up their tough stance against Russia.”
This is “a new hybrid warfare“, criticized the diplomat, who will soon publish the book “Turning Points: Putin’s War and the Consequences”.
Ex-German ambassador to the Ukraine war: “Putin overturned the chessboard”
Von Fritsch does not believe in a quick end to the war. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Putin “turned over the chessboard” and “abruptly ended the successful attempt to jointly create security in Europe”.
Defeat in Ukraine is out of the question for Putin, as he is now fighting for his own power in Russia, said the ex-ambassador. Therefore, there is a high probability “that he will try to continue and escalate this war.”
According to von Fritsch, he does not believe that the Russian head of state could also use nuclear weapons: “Vladimir Putin is neither crazy nor irrational. It obeys a different logic.” The statements by the Russian leadership on the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine by Western countries made it clear “that up to now they have very carefully avoided getting into a military confrontation with NATO”. (afp)
We have summarized the background to the Ukraine conflict for you here. You can read the previous news on German reactions in the Ukraine war here.
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