Ukraine conflict: Scholz declares "a turning point" - and announces Bundeswehr hammer

Created: 02/27/2022, 11:47 am

By: Jonas Raab, Franziska Schwarz

Germany has fundamentally changed course in the Ukraine conflict.

What does Chancellor Scholz say in his government statement on the arms deliveries and Russia's Swift exclusion?

The news ticker.

• Russia is increasing the number of blows in the Ukraine conflict * enormously.

  Ruler Vladimir Putin * expands the attacks across the board.

• Germany says goodbye to two fundamental decisions.

  Chancellor Olaf Scholz* announces arms deliveries to Ukraine and makes an important financial decision.

• Scholz will make a government statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Sunday.

• This news ticker is continuously updated.

Update from February 27, 11:43 a.m

.: Friedrich Merz has his contribution directly after Scholz.

The CDU leader is outraged that Putin has defamed the Ukrainian president, who comes from a Jewish family, as a "Nazi".

He agrees with Scholz that we are in a "turning point".

"We're at war in the middle of Europe.

In the middle of Europe.

Russia is a European country.

Ukraine is a European country.”

Ukraine "turning point": Scholz raises his voice in the Bundestag

Update from February 27, 11:38 a.m

.: "Putin's war means a turning point," Scholz comes back to the actions of the Russian President to speak.

"Even in this extreme situation, we will not refuse talks with Russia," he says.

"Not being naive" also means "talking for the sake of talking".

He is confident that cohesion in the EU will succeed in view of the Ukraine conflict.

"Our greatest strength is our alliances," emphasized Scholz in his government statement, which lasted a good 35 minutes.

Ukraine conflict: Scholz announces Bundeswehr hammer - 100 billion extra

Update from February 27, 11:30 a.m

.: The answer to the Ukraine conflict is a "great national effort," Scholz said.

Now he comes to the Bundeswehr to speak.

More staff and newer equipment costs a lot of money, "let's not fool ourselves".

Therefore, a special fund for the equipment of the Bundeswehr is planned, 100 billion euros are planned in the federal budget for 2022.

Scholz thanks Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner (FDP).

"In the future, we will invest more than two percent of the gross domestic product in our defense every year," explains Scholz to applause.

"We also do this for our own security." It is also about cyber attacks.

"Technically, we will be up to date," says Scholz.

Chancellor Scholz on Ukraine: "This war is Putin's war"

Update from February 27, 11:23 a.m

.: Then the Chancellor lists other reactions to the Ukraine conflict.

Germany has increased the number of its Bundeswehr soldiers in Lithuania and wants to be involved in setting up a new NATO unit in Slovakia, emphasizes Scholz.

He thanks the troops and the Federal Minister of Defense at this point.

Update from February 27, 11:20 a.m

.: "This war is Putin's war," explains Scholz.

The Russian people don't wear it.

"Freedom, tolerance and human rights will also prevail in Russia," believes the Chancellor.

President Putin should not underestimate the determination of the NATO alliance.

Scholz on the war in Ukraine: "It will also be a disaster for Russia"

Update from February 27, 11:16 a.m

.: Putin created a new reality on February 24.

And Germany has given an answer, Scholz is now moving on to the agreed arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Applause breaks out briefly.

"The war will also prove to be a catastrophe for Russia." Scholz first mentions the exclusion of some Russian banks from the Swift agreement.

Germany reserves the right to further sanctions.

Update from February 27, 11:14 a.m

.: "We accept the challenge." Putin wants to divide the continent into old spheres of influence by force of arms.

As in previous years, Germany must now support Ukraine.

In Kiev and other cities, residents not only defended their freedom, but fought for democracy.

You stand by your side, "on the right side of history," said Scholz.

Scholz government statement on the Ukraine conflict: "Putin is on the sidelines"

Update from February 27, 11:11 a.m

.: The core question is whether Putin is allowed to turn the clock back to the time of the great powers or whether one finds the strength to fight back.

"We will secure our freedom, our democracy and our prosperity," appealed Scholz.

Putin put himself with the attack in the "offside".

Update from February 27, 11:10 a.m

.: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) speaks of a “turning point” with a view to February 24.

On the day Russia invaded Ukraine.

"The pain of the Ukrainians touches our hearts."

Scholz speech in the Bundestag: applause for Ukraine Ambassador Andriy Melnyk

Update from February 27, 11:09 a.m

.: We are under the impression of dramatic events, says Bas.

“We are at war in Europe.

Putin has attacked Ukraine and brutally violated its sovereignty.

This raid is a clear breach of international law and an attack on the principles of the free world,” she continues.

Strong applause.

.: Ex-Federal President Joachim Gauck and the German Ambassador to Ukraine Andriy Melnyk are present on the VIP stand in the Bundestag.

President of the Bundestag Bärbel Bas introduces them at the beginning.

The applause from the plenum is extremely long, especially for Melnyk.

Update from February 27, 10:48 a.m

.: From 11 a.m. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SDP) will give a government statement on the Ukraine conflict in Berlin

.

We will then report the most important thing from the live stream at this point.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (archive image) © Chris Emil Janssen/Imago

Explosive Scholz statement on the Ukraine conflict: Chancellor talks about Germany's new Russia course

First report from February 26

: Berlin - What position does Germany take in the further course of the Ukraine conflict?

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will provide information on Sunday (February 27).

At a special session of the Bundestag, he wants to give a speech on the current situation after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It starts at 11 a.m. and is likely to have been rewritten at short notice in view of the current developments * - arms deliveries to Ukraine and planned Swift restrictions for Russia.

On Saturday (February 26) Scholz (SPD*) came under increasing pressure.

His sanctions against Russia, which was rapidly advancing in Ukraine, were seen as too lax - even within his own government.

Even the chancellor's party, the SPD, was no longer unanimously behind the head of government's course.

Juso Chairwoman Jessica Rosenthal called for all available sanctions to be used.

"This also includes the exclusion of Russia from Swift," said the head of the SPD youth association of the German Press Agency.

"We can really hurt the Russian government with this."

Ukraine conflict: Olaf Scholz announces sanctions against Russia - before that he came under pressure

Two of the Eastern European partners, who vehemently advocate the harshest possible sanctions against Russia, made a surprise visit to Scholz on Saturday: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda flew to the Chancellery for a meeting that had been announced at short notice.

Commenting on the visit, Morawiecki wrote on Facebook: "I have come to rouse Germany's conscience to finally enact truly sweeping sanctions that will influence the Kremlin's and Putin's decisions to stop attacking Ukraine."

This map illustrates where the Ukraine War is raging* and this map shows the areas already conquered in the Ukraine War*.

Scholz stood with his no to an immediate exclusion of Russia from the banking communication network Swift, he is now largely isolated in the European Union - before Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economics Minister Robert Habeck announced on Saturday evening that work was being done "at high pressure" on it, like a Russia's decoupling from the international payment system could be enforced.

Government statement by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the Ukraine conflict: Weapons deliveries decided

What the Greens* politicians around Baerbock and Habeck had taken over at Swift, Scholz did himself when it came to arms deliveries to Ukraine* Type "Stinger" from Bundeswehr stocks to be delivered to the Ukraine as quickly as possible.

Scholz thus reversed the long-standing practice of not delivering deadly weapons to war zones.

It is Germany's "duty to support Ukraine to the best of its ability in defending against Vladimir Putin's invading army," said Scholz, explaining that the Russian attack on Ukraine * marks a turning point.

For this reason, Germany also approved the delivery of German-made weapons to Ukraine by its NATO partners, the Netherlands and Estonia.

Ukraine conflict: Chancellor Scholz expresses himself in a government statement - there is a need for discussion

One thing is certain: there is a lot to talk about when the Chancellor's government statement is scheduled to last 30 minutes.

This will be followed by a two-and-a-half-hour debate between MPs.

Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) had scheduled the special session at Scholz’s request.

The Russian attack on Ukraine has a long history* - and has been condemned by representatives of all parliamentary groups.

The left and the AfD, which had previously rejected the policy of sanctions against Russia, were also critical.

After urgent appeals from Kiev, the federal government announced on Saturday evening that it would send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 surface-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine.

In the dispute over Russia's exclusion from the Swift international payment system, Germany is apparently giving in.