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The Green top candidate Annalena Baerbock
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The Greens are arguing over the question of whether Germany should approve arms exports to crisis areas - triggered by the example of Ukraine. Now the Green leader Annalena Baerbock has tried to straighten out a statement by her co-chairman Robert Habeck. Shortly before a visit to the front line in eastern Ukraine, Habeck had spoken out in favor of arms deliveries to Ukraine. "In my opinion, weapons for defense and self-defense can hardly be denied to Ukraine, defensive weapons," he told Deutschlandfunk.
However, the Green top candidate Baerbock has now reiterated her party's negative stance on arms deliveries to war zones. “It's also in our program, and we both see it that way as party chairmen,” she said on Wednesday evening on the ARD program “Maischberger. The week". Habeck had specified after an initial criticism of his statement that he meant by weapons, for example, night vision devices and reconnaissance devices. However, German arms control does not differentiate between offensive and defensive weapons.
When asked about Habeck's original request for arms deliveries, Baerbock also said: "He didn't say that." Then she said that Habeck had requested support from the OSCE mission in Ukraine and that he had specified this on Wednesday morning on Deutschlandfunk.
“This morning Robert Habeck made it very clear that it is not about defensive weapons, but - as we have also recently made clear - about ammunition clearance, the recovery of wounded people, civilians, with armored vehicles and also the question of support the OSCE Mission. "
"Little capable of governing and insincere"
Habeck had not commented at all on the OSCE mission in the aforementioned radio interview on Wednesday morning.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been present in Ukraine with an unarmed observer mission since spring 2014.
Politicians from the Union, the SPD and the Left sharply criticized Habeck for his statements.
"The demand to deliver so-called defensive weapons to Ukraine is frivolous and underlines once again how illiterate and insincere the Greens are at the moment," said SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich to SPIEGEL.
The left leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow quoted on Twitter from the basic program of the Greens to ban arms deliveries - and sent the party the question: "Is that still valid?"
Many Greens were also critical of Habeck's request.
The former federal chairman of the Greens, Cem Özdemir, on the other hand, defends his party leader.
"I can't see anything wrong with Robert's statements," said Özdemir of the Heidelberg "Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung" newspaper.
Russia cannot simply, in violation of international law, cut out parts of Ukraine like a fillet and at some point occupy the next country.
“At the same time, we have to help the Democrats in Ukraine.
If necessary, by clearing the mines and transporting the injured, ”the Stuttgart member of the Bundestag continued.
mrc / dpa
