Baerbock reacts to Ukraine's fighter jet demand - and warns of a global food crisis

Created: 05/13/2022, 08:38

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

While Selenskyj's foreign minister is visiting Germany, there are renewed discussions about arms deliveries to Ukraine.

News ticker.

• Ukraine conflict: The war in Ukraine also concerns Germany.

• Annalena Baerbock speaks out

  against the delivery of German fighter jets

  to Ukraine

  and warns of a global food crisis.

• Ukrainian foreign minister visits Germany

  :

  Dmytro Kuleba taunts Berlin and accuses it of being hesitant to deliver arms.

• This

  news ticker on Germany's reactions to the Ukraine war

  has ended.

  All further information can be found in our new news ticker.

Update from May 12, 10:25 p.m .:

After Annalena Baerbock has already spoken out against Western fighter jet deliveries to Ukraine, she now warns of a global food crisis caused by the war after the first meeting with the G7 foreign ministers.

The "terrible war of aggression, contrary to international law" against Ukraine does not only affect Europe, but the whole world.

The war in Ukraine is blocking the export of millions of tons of grain vital to the people of the Middle East and Africa.

In the port city of Mariupol alone, where a military commander is asking Elon Musk for help, 25 million tons of grain are "blocked".

Together with her G7 colleagues, she will discuss solutions to "bring the grain into the world," said Baerbock.

Putin will not succeed in “dividing the world community”.

Annalena Baerbock warns of a global food crisis caused by the Ukraine war.

© IMAGO/Janine Schmitz/photothek.de

Ukraine War: Annalena Baerbock Against Western Fighter Jet Delivery

Update from May 12, 6:50 p.m .:

After the Ukrainian foreign minister recently spoke out in favor of the delivery of western fighter jets to his country, his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock is now reacting cautiously.

At the beginning of a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers on the Baltic Sea on Thursday, she referred to the previous position on the establishment of no-fly zones.

Also for the delivery of "flying materials we have already clearly positioned ourselves".

One must prevent "NATO from becoming a participant in the war," said Baerbock.

While deliveries of fighter jets are being avoided, the Bundeswehr has brought war-wounded Ukrainians to Germany with another evacuation flight.

A special Luftwaffe aircraft landed in Frankfurt am Main on Thursday with more than 20 patients on board.

This was announced by the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs on Thursday in Wiesbaden.

The injured would now be distributed to different hospitals in southwest Germany.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister in Germany - Reconstruction with Russian funds?

Update from May 12, 5 p.m.:

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba can imagine claiming Russian funds frozen abroad to help rebuild his country.

"Legally speaking, this is a complicated issue as well as politically," Kuleba told Die

.

In order to be successful, there must be a prepared legal path and the political will to implement it.

"There are some countries that have already promised us that they will pass necessary legislation to make this possible," he said.

Germany is not yet one of them.

However, he hopes that the Federal Republic will participate, because it is the best and most economically sensible way to raise funds for the Ukrainian reconstruction.

“Russia destroyed it, make Russia pay for it.

It's a fair solution," he said. 

He also urged that his country's EU accession process should start soon.

"The European Union needs Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs the European Union," he said.

EU candidate status is the most important issue for Ukraine.

Public opinion is in favor on both sides.

"We have a moment where we make history with our own hands," Kuleba said.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba with Green politicians in the Bundestag on Thursday.

© Michael Kappeler

Germany and the Ukraine war: Kuleba forgives the SPD for Russia policy

Update from May 12, 4:50 p.m .:

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has forgiven the SPD for its Russia policy of the last decades, which many have criticized as too lenient.

"The pre-war history of German-Russian relations and the role of the Social Democrats in this is something that is now history," said Kuleba after a meeting with SPD leader Lars Klingbeil and SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich in Berlin.

The Ukrainian foreign minister pointed out that Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a social democrat, had reversed German arms deliveries and energy policy.

"I know it's not easy to make decisions like that," Kuleba said.

He sees the fact that the Chancellor did this with the support of his party as a sign of strength: "You are strong enough to admit that the previous policy has failed and you need a new policy."

Kuleba emphasized that he sees German-Ukrainian relations as a whole after the tensions and irritations of recent weeks on the right track.

When it comes to the important issues of arms deliveries and sanctions, the federal government is on the right track: “We see a positive dynamic.

I would like to thank the governing coalition and the federal government for moving forward.” However, the right decisions must be made now, said Kuleba with regard to arms deliveries.

Germany in the Ukraine war: Kuleba in Berlin - Foreign Minister taunts the federal government

Update from May 12, 3:40 p.m .:

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is a guest in Berlin.

He again criticized German hesitancy in arms deliveries and accused Berlin of "awkward decisions".

The Gepard anti-aircraft tanks promised by Germany were not even requested by Ukraine, he told the

.

"It's true that we didn't ask for the cheetah, the key thing seems to have been for the federal government to give us something they don't need themselves," he said.

He also complained that initially there was no ammunition for the cheetah.

"First agreeing to something that we didn't ask for and then realizing that the system can't operate at all raises a few questions," says Kuleba.

Kuleba also criticized the delivery of seven German Panzerhaubitzen 2000 - heavy, modern artillery pieces - as insufficient: "At the same time as this message came, I received the message from a very small EU country that also wanted to give us seven pieces of the same system .

The dimensions aren't right, it doesn't look good."

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba with Green politicians in the Bundestag on Thursday.

© Michael Kappeler

Germany in the Ukraine war: Habeck comments on the gas situation after Putin's sanctions

Update from May 12, 2:30 p.m .:

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck considers the effects of the sanctions imposed by Russia on former Gazprom subsidiaries abroad to be “manageable”.

Ten million cubic meters of gas are no longer being delivered from Russia every day, said the Greens politician in Berlin.

"That's a lot that can be offset, and the companies are in the process of procuring the gas from other sources," says Habeck.

The wholesale price increased by 14 percent.

"That's not nice, but it corresponds to the normal fluctuations since the beginning of the war," emphasized the minister.

The sanctioning of the Gazprom Germania subsidiaries means that new supply contracts would have to be concluded: “These supply contracts may then be concluded at higher prices.

In order for these prices to be paid, financial guarantees are needed, and we will provide them.”

Germany and the Ukraine War: Eastern Commissioner Schneider against Schröder's party expulsion

Update from May 12, 1:50 p.m .:

The Federal Government’s Eastern Commissioner, Carsten Schneider, is against expelling former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (both SPD) from the party.

"I very much regret that Gerhard Schröder is not in a position to distance himself seriously from Vladimir Putin and to stop doing business for him," Schneider told the Funke media group.

"But I don't think much of party exclusions," he emphasized.

He expects a decision from the Bundestag on calls for Schröder to cut state funding for his office as former chancellor.

"We need principles that apply to the financial resources of all offices of the former Federal President, Bundestag President and Federal Chancellor," Schneider said.

Germany in the Ukraine war: Klingbeil announces support for Ukrainian EU course

Update from May 12, 12:25 p.m .:

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has spoken out in favor of granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership.

It is important "that we send a clear political signal that we want Ukraine to be part of the European Union," said Klingbeil after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Berlin.

"We want her to become a member and then also get candidate status," says Klingbeil.

The EU Commission wants to decide on the issue in June and make a recommendation to the member states.

Kuleba himself said he hopes that the EU summit of heads of state and government at the end of June will then grant his country candidate status.

Even if this does not mean "immediate membership", it would be an important decision for his country.

Referring to the past pro-Russian policies of the Social Democrats, Kuleba said it was "history" for him.

After the start of the Russian war of aggression, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) initiated a turnaround, said the Foreign Minister after the meeting, which was also attended by SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich.

He sees it as a "signal of strength" that Germany has changed its position and admitted that the old policy was wrong.

Germany and the Ukraine war: New demands for sanctions against Schröder

Update from May 12, 12:05 p.m .:

The Liberals in the European Parliament are demanding sanctions against former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) because of his connection to Russia.

Parliamentarians from the Renew Group, a faction in the European Parliament in which mainly liberal parties are represented, are calling for European members of supervisory boards of Russian companies to be put on the sanctions list - especially Schröder, according to a draft resolution from which the dpa quotes.

The resolution drafted by the Renew Group is to be voted on next week in plenary.

Members of the FDP and the Free Voters from Germany belong to her.

In Germany, too, there have already been calls to sanction the SPD politician and to strip him of his privileges as former chancellor.

"Gerhard Schröder no longer represents Germany's interests, but Putin's interests," said MEP Moritz Körner (FDP).

"Accordingly, he should be sanctioned just like all other Putin profiteers," said Körner.

However, the EU Parliament cannot decide on sanctions against Russia or individuals; that is what the EU states do. 

Germany in the Ukraine war: exports to Russia collapse - a drop of 58.7 percent

Update from May 12, 11:35 a.m .:

German exports to Russia collapsed in March against the background of the Ukraine war and the economic sanctions that were imposed as a result.

Goods worth one billion euros were exported that month, a drop of 58.7 percent year-on-year, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.

In particular, exports of machines (minus 73.6 percent) and chemical products (minus 40.9 percent) fell significantly.

On the other hand, much more was imported from Russia in March - but that was mainly due to the rise in raw material prices.

According to the statistics office, Russian imports in March increased by 77.7 percent to a volume of 4.4 billion euros compared to the previous year.

The most important imported goods were crude oil and natural gas, with a value increase of 56.5 percent to 2.4 billion euros.

However, the amount imported fell by 27.8 percent.

Foreign trade with Ukraine, which was under attack from Russia, also declined.

Exports fell 45.7 percent to 265.8 million euros in March, while imports from the country fell 27.5 percent to 199.6 million euros.

Germany and the Ukraine war: Ex-Merkel adviser Vad warns against underestimating Russia

Update from May 12, 10:55 a.m .:

The former military-political adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Brigadier General a.

D. Erich Vad, has warned against underestimating the Russian forces in Ukraine.

Vad admitted that he initially overestimated the Russian military and assumed that the Russian army would march through to Kyiv.

“I overestimated them and underestimated the Ukrainians' will to resist.

Today, however, one runs the risk of underestimating the Russians," Vad told the conservative Swiss weekly

.

It is the Russians who are currently determining where and with what forces.

"They are advancing slowly in the Donbass, on a front about 500 kilometers wide, with 100,000 men," Vad said.

It is now important for the Ukrainians not to rely on the decisive counterattack with conventional, especially heavily armored forces.

A liberation of the Donbass is militarily impossible: "The Russians are too strong for that, they have military dominance on the ground and in the air.

The Ukrainians' chance is to prolong the conflict, inflate the cost to the Russians, and wear them down.

In the end, that can lead to victory.

Vad had recently caused a stir when he warned against the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

Germany in the Ukraine War: More than 105,000 Ukrainian students were accepted

Update from May 12, 10:45 a.m .:

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, more than 105,000 students who have fled Ukraine have found accommodation in German schools.

In the past week, a total of 105,869 children were admitted to general and vocational schools, according to the Conference of Ministers of Education in Berlin.

Compared to the previous week, there are 14,297 more refugees.

With 20,695 children and young people, the largest federal state of Bavaria has so far taken in the most pupils.

It is followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 18,232 and Baden-Württemberg with 15,393 new admissions.

As in the previous week, North Rhine-Westphalia reported the most new admissions: 3,532 new pupils from the Ukraine were admitted within one week.

Germany and the Ukraine War: Kuleba ascribes a “pioneering role” to Germany

Update from May 12, 10:40 a.m .:

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has identified a positive development in Germany regarding the issue of arms deliveries to Ukraine - and emphasized the federal government's "pioneering role" in sanctions against Russia.

"We see that the Federal Republic has currently taken on the pioneering role and is playing the first fiddle in Europe," said Kuleba in the ARD morning magazine.

He would not want to "overrate the negative moments".

The government in Kyiv has also sharply criticized the federal government through its ambassador Andriy Melnyk in recent weeks, above all because of what it sees as being too hesitant on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government's refusal to receive Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Kyiv was a diplomatic affront.

"It was a completely normal conversation between the two sides, in which things were called as they should be," said Kuleba.

"If we see delays, then we openly refer to them," said the minister.

He also commented on EU membership: “We are not talking about EU membership as quickly as possible.

But for us it is important to reserve this place for Ukraine.” It is often said that Ukraine belongs to Europe, now is the time to reserve this place.

Germany in the Ukraine war: Bundeswehr sends evacuation planes for the wounded

Update from May 12, 8:41 a.m

.: The Bundeswehr is on a new evacuation flight to transport war-wounded Ukrainians from Poland to Germany.

The Luftwaffe's A310 MedEvac special aircraft took off from Cologne this Thursday morning.

This is reported by the dpa news agency.

After picking up the injured in Poland, the machine should later land in Frankfurt am Main.

In the past few weeks, seriously injured children and adults have repeatedly been brought to Germany by plane for treatment in order to be able to provide them with better medical care.

The A310 MedEvac is the Air Force's flying intensive care unit.

The injured are treated further in the air by medical personnel.

An Airbus A310 MedEvac at Cologne Airport in April 2022. © Henning Kaiser/dpa

Germany and the Ukraine war: Habeck already believes in a manageable gas boycott this winter

Update from May 12, 6:36 a.m

.: In the Ukraine war, Germany is trying, among other things, to become more independent of Russian gas.

But can the country take it?

Economics Minister Robert Habeck believes that this is possible for the coming winter.

The prerequisites are full gas storage at the turn of the year, the grid connection of two of the four rented LNG tankers and energy saving, the Green politician now told

: "Then we can get through the winter to some extent if the Russian gas supplies are demolished."

Germany in the Ukraine war: dispute over a possible Russia gas embargo

According to Habeck, two of the four liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships ordered for Germany already replace almost a quarter of Russian natural gas imports.

Despite the progress, Habeck warned in the

interview of the economic risks of a gas stop: "Even under the conditions mentioned, the gas prices would then certainly be very high and the storage tanks would be empty at the end of winter."

Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas.

Demands for a gas embargo, for example, are therefore controversial.

According to the latest information from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, dependency has fallen from 55 percent to around 35 percent since the beginning of the war.

Update from May 11, 4:28 p.m .:

According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Ukraine will still have to deal with the consequences of the war for “a hundred years” because of explosive devices that remain everywhere.

"Anyone who lives in Germany knows that the bombs that fell here during the Second World War are still being discovered today," said the Chancellor on Wednesday after a meeting with Argentine President Alberto Ángel Fernández in Berlin.

"That's why we will also advance the reconstruction together," said Scholz.

The Russian war of aggression is not only a war against Ukraine, "but also a war with consequences for the whole world," added the Chancellor, referring to rising energy and food prices and the threat of hunger crises in poorer countries.

Germany as a war party?

Ukrainian soldiers land in Idar-Oberstein for training on self-propelled howitzers

Update from May 11, 3:25 p.m

.: Does the training of Ukrainian soldiers on heavy weapons that has now begun make Germany a war party?

Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) says: no.

He assumes that "the situation under international law has not changed," said Buschmann in the Bundestag on Wednesday.

To justify his position, Buschmann referred to the UN Charter, according to which war is fundamentally forbidden - with the exception of defensive wars.

"In international war law, everyone agrees: If you are the victim of an aggressor, you can defend yourself," emphasized the FDP politician on Wednesday during a survey in the Bundestag.

He added: "Now that doesn't include a counter-attack that takes over all enemy territory, but of course in response to that you're allowed to operate on enemy territory, even in border areas." Buschmann continued: "It would be crazy if the who behaves in accordance with international law would have to go into the conflict more chained than the illegitimate aggressor.”

"My legal assessment is that we are not becoming a party to the war," said Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) on ZDF.

"We're not sending soldiers.

And that’s why this training, this support is not yet a step towards becoming a war party.”

Ukraine-Germany-News: Ukrainians land in Idar-Oberstein for training on howitzers

First report from May 11, 11 a.m

.: Munich – According to the United States, the Ukraine war will not end quickly.

This map shows where the Ukraine war is raging.

On the contrary: American secret services expect a “protracted war”.

It is "likely" that Russian President Vladimir Putin will take an increasingly "unpredictable and potentially escalating" path in the coming months, said Avril Haines, the US's top intelligence coordinator.

Most Western countries seem to be aware of this and are stepping up their support for Ukraine - both economically and financially.

After the USA announced a new billion-euro package, Germany is now speeding up military aid for Ukraine.

At the end of April, a historic go-ahead was given for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

Discussions are still going on, but progress is being made.

Among the systems to be delivered is the Panzerhaubitze 2000.

Germany and the Ukraine War: Ukrainian soldiers arrive in Idar-Oberstein for training

Ukrainian soldiers have now arrived in Germany for weapon training.

The future crews of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 and technical experts landed in Rhineland-Palatinate.

They are to be briefed on Wednesday (May 11) in training at the Bundeswehr Artillery School in Idar-Oberstein, as the German Press Agency learned from government circles in Berlin.

To defend against the Russian attack, Germany and the Netherlands want to hand over a total of twelve self-propelled howitzers to the Ukraine.

They are each served by five soldiers.

The number of soldiers planned for the training is therefore more than 60. There are also technical experts and translators.

According to dpa information, the Ukrainian soldiers started in Poland and were flown to Zweibrücken Airport in a Bundeswehr transport plane.

According to earlier information, the training should last about 40 days, or less depending on the level of knowledge of the soldiers.

They would have to learn how to drive the self-propelled howitzer, shoot it and troubleshoot operations. 

A Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000 for short) of the Bundeswehr drives on a training ground during the "Wettiner Heide" exercise on May 10 in Lower Saxony.

© Philipp Schulze/dpa

Germany and the Ukraine war: Hermann calls for pressure on society instead of more weapons for Ukraine

Not everyone is enthusiastic about these developments, including Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens).

He has reiterated his opposition to further arms sales to Ukraine, calling instead for more pressure on civil society in Russia.

"We really have to build up civil communication now," said the green party left in the ARD "Morgenmagazin".

This means, for example, that not all municipalities should sever ties with partner municipalities in Russia.

Schools and universities would have had relationships.

"We have to use this to influence society in Russia so that pressure is created there to end the war," said the 69-year-old.

Although he is of the opinion that there should be a right to self-defense, said Hermann.

But one should not only rely on weapons and not only on more and more weapons, he justified his rejection of further arms deliveries.

There is a risk that this will further escalate the conflict.

Hermann's views contradict statements made by party colleague and Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann.

The 73-year-old expressly supports arms deliveries to Ukraine.

On Monday, Kretschmann described them as "essential".

Germany and the Ukraine war: Ramelow with an oil embargo warning - "Loss of 7000 jobs"

Indes ist auch die Debatte um ein mögliches Öl-Embargo in vollem Gange. Thüringens Ministerpräsident Bodo Ramelow (Linke) warnte jetzt vor den Folgen eines solchen Schrittes für Ostdeutschland. Russisches „Öl und Gas kommen zuerst in Ostdeutschland an, das heißt, die ganzen Veredelungsstufen hängen direkt dort dran“, sagte Ramelow im ARD-„Morgenmagazin“. „Wir reden bei all dem, was an kriegsbedingten Ausfällen zu erwarten ist, in der Glasindustrie in Thüringen sofort von 7000 Arbeitsplätzen“, so der Linken-Politiker.

He "does not support the sanctions as a matter of urgency," but supports everything that will prevent Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin from "continuing the war," stressed Ramelow.

From his point of view, it is much more important "that the oligarchs have to be cut off from the money supply".

In addition, a move away from fossil fuels is necessary.

The timely switch to renewable energies was neglected, instead Germany had relied on “cheap fossil energy” from Russia for too long.