Habeck is speeding up the delivery of weapons: "Now the stuff has to go down there"
Created: 04/13/2022, 05:45
By: Florian Naumann
Three Ampel people traveled to Ukraine for talks.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on the other hand, is undesirable.
Habeck responds to gun demands.
News ticker.
Ukraine conflict
*: Robert
Habeck
commented again on arms deliveries.
Traffic light deputies
to talks
in Lviv:
They are for more
arms aid
and an
oil embargo
.
Steinmeier
unwanted
in Ukraine
: The
Federal President
will not travel to Kiev as planned.
The Ukrainian leadership
refuses a visit.
This
news ticker on Germany's role in the Ukraine war
is continuously updated.
Update from April 12, 10:20 p.m .:
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is pushing the pace of German arms deliveries to Ukraine.
"It's no use if we say: You'll get something in nine months.
Now that stuff has to go down there.
And that's how we act," said Habeck on Tuesday evening on ProSieben and SAT.1.
In view of the expected Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine is demanding heavy weapons such as battle tanks, artillery pieces and air defense systems from Germany.
"We are expecting the Russians to attack in the next few days*.
That means everything that helps the Ukrainian army now must be delivered quickly," Habeck said.
However, he also emphasized that the supplying countries should “not completely expose themselves”, i.e. they must maintain their own defense capabilities.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD, r.) and Robert Habeck (Greens), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, take part in a meeting of the security cabinet in the Chancellery.
© Annegret Hilse/dpa
Traffic light deputies in Ukraine: "Germany must take even more responsibility"
Update from April 12, 9:45 p.m .:
After a visit to Ukraine, three leading parliamentarians from the traffic light coalition spoke out in favor of
further arms deliveries, an import stop for Russian oil as soon as possible and a clear EU perspective for Ukraine
.
“There should be a broad majority in favor of this in the Bundestag.
Germany must take on even more responsibility," says a joint statement by the chairmen of the Bundestag committees for foreign affairs, defense and Europe, Michael Roth (SPD), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and Anton Hofreiter (Greens). press agency is available.
However, the members of the Bundestag criticized the disinvitation of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who had planned a visit to Kiev
(preliminary report).
This step is incomprehensible.
"Right now it's important to keep in touch." The three politicians had talks with members of the Ukrainian Parliament Rada in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that afternoon.
They explained that they found a lot of sympathy and openness in Ukraine.
“The expectations towards Germany are very high.
We found that out in personal conversations with representatives of the Ukrainian parliament on site,” they explained.
The encounter with seriously injured Ukrainian soldiers in the hospital was particularly moving.
"It also made us feel what crimes the Russian army is capable of - we must not allow that to continue."
Germany's role in the Ukraine war: offer to visit Olaf Scholz
Update from April 12, 8:20 p.m .:
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, spoke out in favor of a trip by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Ukraine, despite the rejection of a visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
It is important "that the head of government comes to Kyiv"
, said Melnyk, according to excerpts distributed in advance, in an interview broadcast on ProSieben and Sat.1 on Tuesday evening.
In the past few days, the 46-year-old had spoken out in favor of a meeting between Scholz and President Selenskyj.
With a view to Scholz, Melnyk also reiterated his call for heavy weapons on Tuesday evening.
The Chancellor must make this decision.
During a visit to Kyiv, Scholz could also find out "how Ukraine could be helped even more".
Steinmeier "undesirable" in Ukraine - Federal President does not travel to Kyiv
Update from April 12, 5:10 p.m.:
While three Bundestag committee chairmen are traveling to Ukraine (
see preliminary report
),
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is “undesirable” with Volodymyr Selenskyj in Kiev
.
The Federal President confirmed this on Tuesday evening.
"In the past few days, the Polish President has suggested that we both take a trip to Kyiv together with the Presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in order to send and send a strong signal of common European solidarity with Ukraine," Steinmeier explained.
"I was willing to do that, but apparently - and I have to admit - that was not wanted in Kyiv."
Traffic light deputies travel to a secret appointment - Selenskyj probably invites Steinmeier
Preliminary report:
Berlin – After several top Eastern European politicians and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, a German delegation is now to travel to Ukraine – but without Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD)* and not to Kiev.
There is already a dispute about the date - and about another planned trip: Volodymyr Zelenskyj has apparently declared a visit from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to be undesirable.
Instead of the Chancellor, it is the
chairmen of several Bundestag committees who have now made their way to Ukraine.
The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the SPD foreign politician Michael Roth and the Greens chairman of the European Committee, Anton Hofreiter.
This was reported by the AFP news agency on Tuesday afternoon (April 12).
Anton Hofreiter advocates an embargo.
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
Germany in the Ukraine conflict: Bundestag committee heads travel to Ukraine - location remains secret
According to Spiegel
, Strack-Zimmermann, Roth and Hofreiter
accepted an invitation from the Ukrainian MP Halyna Yanchenko.
According to the information, she suggested a meeting in Lviv.
However, a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian Rada, the parliament, is now planned closer to the Polish border.
There have also recently been airstrikes on facilities near Lviv.
For security reasons, the trip was kept secret until the end.
The exact location of the meeting in western Ukraine remains silent.
On the way to Ukraine, the three deputies apparently stopped in Poland.
Strack-Zimmermann shared a tweet from Polish politician Marek Kuchciński, who reported "very frank discussions" with the committee chairs.
In Germany, a dispute over possible deliveries of heavy weapons to Ukraine has been smoldering.
Several traffic light politicians, including Strack-Zimmermann and Roth, called for this.
Hofreiter had also recently spoken out in favor of further deliveries of weapons*, obviously with a heavy heart.
At the same time, an ex-adviser to Angela Merkel warned of a possible wrong turn in a “Third World War”*.
Ukraine trip by Hofreiter and Co. - Polenz sees CDU "excluded"
The former CDU General Secretary Ruprecht Polenz welcomed the trip in a tweet - but saw the Union as "excluded".
“The justification that she does not appoint any of the committee chairmen is irrelevant.
It's about representing Parliament.
As with all delegations, the opposition is part of that,” he complained.
There were counters from the ranks of the Greens: "Not every trip by committee chairmen is an official delegation trip of the Bundestag," replied ex-minister Renate Künast.
"Then the rules are different.
But what's the point of complaining.
Ask someone from the Union to travel.” All three travelers belong to the parties of the traffic light coalition*.
Several parliamentarians had recently asked Olaf Scholz to travel to Ukraine.
"Personally, I would welcome it if the Chancellor traveled to Kyiv," said the designated FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai on Monday on RTL.
However, a rejection came from the Chancellery.
"I don't see any plans in this direction at the moment," said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann.
Selenskyj apparently invites Steinmeier out: "He is not welcome in Kyiv at the moment"
The problem situation for Frank-Walter Steinmeier is quite different.
According to a report by
Bild
, the Federal President wanted to travel to Kiev on Wednesday (April 13) together with government representatives from other EU countries.
However, Volodymyr Selenskyj* turned down a meeting: the reason was Steinmeier's connections to Russia.
The former SPD foreign minister recently apologized for his policy in dealing with the Kremlin *.
The paper quoted a Ukrainian diplomat as saying: "He is not welcome in Kyiv at the moment.
We'll see if that changes again.” The remaining EU visitors are apparently welcome.
(
fn with material from AFP
)
