CDU opposition leader Friedrich Merz has accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD of damaging the country’s reputation with his indecisiveness over the tanks. Only the German government was supposed to delay the earlier decision of the circle of allies to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine, Merz said on Wednesday January 25 and 23 during a debate in the Bundestag.

“The damage that has been done to NATO and the EU, that this government cannot be trusted, that it has to be pushed into decisions, that it hesitates and gasps – that damage remains. “, Merz said. On substance, however, the CDU/CSU faction supports the Leopards decision, he added.

SPD faction leader Rolf Muetzenich came to the Chancellor’s defense. In the debate, he spoke of “a trying but necessary coordination process”. Mützenich strongly criticized “the hostile, even irresponsible comments of recent weeks.” The continued criticism of the government would have “complicated the coordination process desired by the Chancellor”.

Juergen Trittin, the Greens’ foreign affairs expert, said the move was in Germany’s interest. “We seriously want to prevent Russia from taking over Ukraine – it’s in our own interests,” Trittin said. All signs point to a “major Russian offensive”. Trittin expressed his understanding for those who fear an escalation in the war. However, such a risk should not be an excuse for “criminals”.

Far-right AfD leader Tino Chrupalla warned of the dangerous consequences of the decision. “You go wide-eyed straight into the fire, straight into World War III,” he told the feds. Chrupalla believed that Ukraine could demand more and more military equipment and spoke in this context of “immoderate and self-centered statements by Ukrainian politicians”.

Fears of weakening of the Bundeswehr

The German news agency DPA draws attention to the wording of official information from the German government: 14 battle tanks for Ukraine are defined as the “first stage”. Eventually, there may be more than the 90 tanks announced by the West. Numbers of 300 leopards that could be made available to Ukraine are already circulating behind the scenes.

The decision to hand over the Leopards can therefore have significant consequences for the Bundeswehr. Military experts are already warning against losing sight of their own defense capabilities – even as they welcome the decision on the tank. According to them, these are two sides of the same coin. “I really hope that the brave Ukrainians can continue to repel the attacks of the Russian army and thus restore their territorial integrity,” said the chairman of the non-partisan association of the Bundeswehr, Colonel André Wuestner.

Wuestner calls for investments in the Bundeswehr. “Words alone are not enough, because the situation in the Bundeswehr is more uncertain than ever. It can also affect the recruitment of new employees. Who wants to serve in the Bundeswehr, who is missing at every turn? said the colonel. The government and parliament must “finally wake up”. It is necessary to clarify as soon as possible when the missing equipment, which was also transferred to Ukraine, will be replaced.

Zelensky thanks Scholz

Bundeswehr Catholic Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck said he understood the German government’s decision. “It seems that the war has reached a stage where such heavy weapons must be used by Ukraine,” Overbeck said. However, he added that it was a decision of the politicians. “As a pastor, I don’t want to talk about approving such deliveries because these weapons also cause terrible suffering,” Overbeck said.

In the afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj also thanked Scholz. He tweeted that he was “sincerely grateful to Scholz” and “all our friends in Germany”.

(dpa,kna/gsz)