Ukraine "trap"?
Mood turns against Germany - Munich's top diplomat makes drastic judgment
Created: 04/21/2022, 22:32
By: Patrick Mayer
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) makes a press statement after a conference call with US President Biden and European allies on the situation in Ukraine.
© Lisi Niesner/dpa
In Munich, Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin once changed his foreign policy.
The head of the security conference is now making a dramatic appeal to the German public.
Munich - It was February 14, 2007. Hotel "Bayerischer Hof".
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a foreign policy speech at the Munich Security Conference that many observers interpreted as a shock.
His words were intended to upset international security policy all of a sudden.
Because: Putin openly attacked the USA after years of detente.
Germany's role in the Russia-Ukraine war: Munich's top diplomat warns the federal government
The United States had "crossed its borders in all spheres," said Putin at the time in the middle of downtown Munich.
The United States would impose its own ideas on the whole world.
Putin asked: "Well, who likes that?" A year later, Wolfgang Ischinger became head of the Munich Security Conference, a Swabian who remained there until 2021. Before his engagement, Ischinger was the German ambassador in Washington DC (USA) and in British London.
He is a security and foreign politician through and through.
Against the background of the Russia-Ukraine war, Ischinger, who is considered objective and level-headed, has now made a downright dramatic appeal to the German public and the traffic light federal government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
“Unfortunately, the international mood turned against Germany a long time ago.
We need to get out of this trap fast.
Because if the war were to end successfully for Russia, the search for the culprit would quickly point to Germany.
The consequences for Germany and the EU can hardly be imagined!” wrote the 76-year-old on Twitter.
Germany's role in the Russia-Ukraine war: heavy criticism of the traffic light federal government
Below Ischinger posted a tweet from
Spiegel
journalist Mathieu von Rohr, who wrote, also on social media: "In Berlin, you don't seem to notice how the mood is turning against Germany - or if you do, you don't seem serious gain weight.
Otherwise there would be no performances like Scholz's yesterday.
It can be observed that the Federal Republic and the traffic light government are increasingly being criticized internationally because Germany refuses to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine - in contrast to other NATO allies such as the Czech Republic, the Netherlands or Slovenia.
All of which are much smaller and have correspondingly smaller military budgets.
The Ukraine wanted to buy the heavy artillery piece "Panzerhaubitze 2000" from Germany - but the federal government refused.
© IMAGO / Björn Trotsky
Russia-Ukraine War: Germany refused delivery of heavy weapons to Kyiv
The heavy Bundeswehr weapons that Ukraine requested from Germany:
Panzerhaubitze 2000, self-propelled armored artillery piece rejected by the federal government
Leopard 2, main battle tank, rejected by the federal government
Marder, infantry fighting vehicle for armored infantry and infantry, rejected by the federal government
Puma, infantry fighting vehicle for Panzergrenadiers and infantry, rejected by the federal government
Fuchs, armored personnel carrier, rejected by the federal government
Sources: various media reports from the FAZ, from Bild to n-tv
Germany's role in the Russia-Ukraine war: Chancellor Scholz is under pressure in the traffic light government
Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, answers questions from journalists before the federal press conference and presents the Munich Security Report 2022.
(Archive) © Wolfgang Kumm/dpa
The criticism of Scholz is steadily increasing in this situation, even within the traffic light.
"I and my colleagues were also very reluctant when it came to tanks," defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) told ZDF on Thursday: "Vladimir Putin is serious about wiping Ukraine off the map.
That is why we are all called upon to also deliver heavy weapons now.”
Strack-Zimmermann had previously invited the Chancellor to the next meeting of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag so that the committee could ask the Prime Minister questions about German arms deliveries.
In the video: Compact - The news about the Russia-Ukraine war
On the same day, CSU boss Markus Söder complained at a public meeting that Germany left behind a “strange feeling of instability.
An internationally coordinated approach is needed,” said the Franconian.
Several media outlets reported on Thursday (April 21) that the Ukrainian government had presented Germany with a wish list of heavy weapons in order to be able to defend itself against the expected major Russian offensive in the east of the country.
However, the federal government refused to supply all heavy weapons.
Instead, Ukrainian soldiers, for example, are to be trained in Germany on Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery pieces, which the Netherlands in turn wants to deliver to Kyiv - from German armaments production.
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