German Chancellor Olaf Scholz under pressure to deliver tanks to Ukraine
After France’s announcement of the delivery of AMX-10 RCs to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is pressed by members of his coalition to give the green light to sending tanks to Ukraine. Ukraine. kyiv is notably asking Berlin to send Leopard 2 tanks.
“The argument constantly advanced by the Chancellery that Germany should not go it alone is absolutely over”told Agence France-Presse the President of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), a member of the German Chancellor’s coalition. “Once again, France assumes the role that was expected of Germany and takes the lead itself”laments M.me Strack-Zimmermann, for whom “the ball is now in Berlin’s court”. Ukraine must “winning to also defend our freedom and our values – and that can only be done with the support of the tanks”, she recalls. Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a diplomat, also a member of the FDP and possible next German ambassador to Moscow, said he expected the subject to be discussed within the coalition.
The German government has so far always refused to deliver tanks, on the pretext that such a measure should be decided in consultation with the Western allies and that Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should not be directly involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Chancellor Scholz’s Social Democratic Party SPD is opposed to such deliveries, unlike its liberal and ecologist partners. “We, the German government and the German Chancellor, are always in close consultation with our partners and friends, especially with the Americans”explained Thursday morning on the NTV channel Saskia Esken, one of the leaders of the SPD, recalling that Berlin had “supported Ukraine from the start by supplying it with weapons”. “We will continue to do so as long as necessary, depending on military developments and needs”she assured.
This debate comes at a time when the Minister of Defense, Christine Lambrecht (SPD), is weakened by a video of greetings deemed failed, in which she says in particular thank you for all the ” met “ that the conflict in Ukraine has allowed him to do.