Even after the German government’s clear no to arms deliveries, Ukraine is not giving up. The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin is now even naming concrete weapon systems that his country is hoping for from Germany to defend against a possible Russian attack.
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“It’s primarily about German warships, which are among the best in the world, which we urgently need for the robust defense of the long coast in the Black and Azov Seas,” said Ambassador Andriy Melnyk of the German Press Agency
“There is the same huge demand for the most modern air defense systems, which are currently being produced by German armaments companies,” added the diplomat.
In the traffic light coalition, however, there are now initial doubts about the tough stance of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens). “We should think about supplying defensive weapons to Ukraine,” Defense Committee chairwoman Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann told the Bild newspaper. But these must be precisely defined.
Cancellations by Scholz and Baerbock
Ukraine has been demanding weapons from Germany for years in order to be able to defend itself against a possible Russian attack – so far without success. Scholz gave Kiev a clear rejection on Tuesday.
“The German federal government has been pursuing a similar strategy on this issue for many years. And that also means that we don’t export lethal weapons,” said the SPD politician. “That has not changed with the change of government that took place in December last year.”
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Baerbock (Greens) also rejected the claim on Monday when she visited Kiev. The attitude towards arms deliveries and a restrictive arms export policy is also based on German history.
Melnyk was irritated by this justification. “The fact that the question of historical responsibility is used in Berlin as an argument for rejecting military aid is astonishing,” he said.
“This responsibility should be given to the Ukrainian people, who lost at least eight million lives during the German Nazi occupation of Ukraine,” Melnyk said. It’s a pity “that German society still doesn’t have any tact on this issue.”
Ukraine praises British initiative
The Ambassador stressed that the issue of arms deliveries will remain on the agenda in relations with Germany. “Ukraine urgently needs defensive weapons – also from Germany, in order to drive up the costs for this invasion so massively that the Kremlin boss is dissuaded from his mad course,” said Melnyk.
“Unfortunately, there is still a lack of political will in Germany, which is very unfortunate in view of the acute danger of war in Europe.” The federal government should follow the example of Great Britain, which has decided to supply anti-tank systems.
The CDU defense politician Henning Otte spoke out clearly in the “Bild” newspaper in favor of arms deliveries: “If Ukraine asks for defensive weapons in order to be able to ward off a possible Russian attack, we must not refuse this request.”
Hiding behind a “restrictive armaments policy from the coalition agreement” is not a responsible policy. Otte made it clear that the delivery of anti-aircraft missiles is also an option for him. (dpa)
