Ukraine conflict: Habeck agrees to harsh consequences for Germany - Ambassador senses "treason"

Created: 02/21/2022, 05:35

By: Florian Naumann, Magdalena Furthauer

Robert Habeck warns of massive consequences for the German economy in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

© IMAGO / Future Image / Frederic Kern

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia threatens to escalate.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck warns of massive consequences for Germany.

The news ticker.

• The conflict between Ukraine and Russia* threatens to escalate further.

• Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) warns of massive economic consequences for Germany in the event of the invasion.

• Chancellor Scholz will apparently consult with US President Biden and French President Macron on Saturday evening.

• This news ticker on the Ukraine conflict and its effects on Germany is constantly updated.

Update from February 20, 9:05 p.m .:

In view of the Ukraine crisis, the traffic light coalition seems to be heading for higher Bundeswehr budgets: The FDP has now joined the demands of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) for an increase in the military budget.

The Munich Security Conference (Siko) was a confirmation "of what is obvious: we need more budgetary funds," said the chairwoman of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), the

.

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner also spoke out in favor of higher defense spending.

"We have to equip the Bundeswehr in such a way that it can do its job justice," said the FDP leader on Sunday in ARD's "Report from Berlin".

He did not want to name an exact amount.

Lambrecht had called for an increase in the defense budget at Siko on Sunday in view of the Ukraine crisis.

The federal government is currently deliberating on the 2022 budget. However, Lindner had recently urged spending discipline *.

Ambassador to Ukraine senses "treason" by Germany - new demand for arms deliveries

Update from February 20, 8:05 p.m .:

The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has reiterated his demand for German arms deliveries given the fear of a Russian invasion.

"Today we don't just need words, not just expressions of solidarity, we need weapons for defense," Melnyk told Bild TV on Sunday.

"These weapons, which Germany could supply, are still being refused to us."

Should Germany continue to refuse and should Russian President Putin actually invade Ukraine in the next few days or weeks, this would constitute a "failure of German foreign policy" and a "declaration of bankruptcy".

"And Ukrainians will never forget this betrayal," stressed the ambassador.

Melnyk also appealed to the West to decide on the discussed sanctions against Russia "before the shelling of Kiev takes place".

That's exactly what a spokesman for the US Department of Defense recently rejected: "If you punish someone for something they haven't done yet, then they can go ahead and do it right away."

The federal government had recently reiterated its negative stance on arms deliveries to Ukraine.

It's not the moment to "change our course 180 degrees," said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on Friday at the Munich Security Conference *.

She also justified the point of view with a possible mediating role of Germany.

Ukraine conflict: Habeck agrees to severe consequences - massive consequences for the German economy

First report from February 20:

Berlin - The Ukraine conflict is getting worse and worse, only at the weekend did the US Secretary of State speak of a "deadly serious" situation.

The effects of a possible Russian invasion would also affect Germany.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) warns of this in the

.

The Ukraine conflict is already playing an "extreme role" in meetings with business, said the Green politician.

Should Russia actually invade, one must reckon with massive economic consequences in Germany.

"One has to say clearly that sanctions will also hit our own economy hard," said Habeck.

It is simply about European security - which is also clear to domestic companies.

In the event of a further tightening on the part of Russia, the European Union will "react with tough economic sanctions in coordination with its partners," the minister clarified in an interview.

He also rated the current situation in Ukraine as "more than threatening".

Europe is so close to war as it hasn't been in decades - with unforeseeable consequences.

Diplomatic efforts were therefore “in full swing”.

Germany had recently prepared itself for invasion scenarios in Ukraine in terms of migration policy.

Video: Germany sends tanks to Lithuania because of the Ukraine conflict

Germany in the Ukraine conflict: Scholz consults with France and the USA - NATO "more united and united than ever"

Not only Habeck, but also Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz assessed the situation in Ukraine as "extremely serious", like many of his counterparts at the Munich Security Conference.

A withdrawal of Russian troops has not yet been observed, Scholz recently wrote on Twitter.

A conversation between him and US President Joe Biden is now apparently followed by another phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

According to the Élysée Palace, it should take place on Sunday evening.

The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen also classifies the situation in Ukraine

as extremely critical compared to the

He believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already "made his decision" on how to proceed in the conflict.

However, one does not yet know "which, when and how he will proceed," Röttgen continues.

But the situation that has arisen is already "a historical turning point" in a conflict that has been raging between Russia and Ukraine for years*.

The United States, meanwhile, insists that NATO is more united and closed than ever.

"The only thing Putin doesn't want is exactly what he's getting: a very strong NATO on his western flank," the US Defense Department spokesman said.

Criticism of Germany had recently arisen in the USA, above all the actions of the federal government with regard to the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2.