Union submits draft application for delivery of heavy weapons

Created: 2022-04-25 05:21

The Union proposal calls on the federal government to provide heavy weapons for Ukraine.

© Philipp Schulze/dpa

The Bundestag should call on the government to provide heavy weapons for Ukraine - according to the proposal of the largest opposition faction.

The background is the debate within the traffic light coalition.

Berlin - In the dispute over the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, the Union continues to put pressure on the traffic light coalition.

As announced, the largest opposition faction submitted a proposal for a Bundestag resolution and at the same time offered the SPD, Greens and FDP to work out a joint motion.

The draft by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group calls for German arms deliveries to be intensified “immediately and noticeably in terms of quantity and quality”.

Germany must now "join its allies in the EU and NATO and make a determined contribution to strengthening the Ukrainian self-defense forces - also and especially with heavy weapons".

Several politicians in the red-yellow-green coalition have already made it clear that they do not want to be divided by the Union initiative, despite differences in content on the issue.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has been accused of hesitation and reticence on the subject of arms deliveries for weeks - also from his own coalition.

Merz: "Sincere offer of talks"

The draft application is available from the German Press Agency, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported about it first.

The Union sent him to the traffic light on Sunday - "in connection with the offer of the Union faction to develop a joint application," as faction leader Friedrich Merz said.

"It's not tactics, it's a sincere offer to talk," assured the CDU chairman.

On Friday he said that if the federal government does not deliver, then Parliament must deliver.

In the Union, it is assumed that the application will be discussed in Parliament on Thursday.

The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who is clearly committed to the delivery of heavy weapons, told the ARD capital studio on Sunday: "If there is an application from the CDU, we will offer our own application and then we will discuss it vote.

We will certainly not allow Friedrich Merz to believe that he is breaking this traffic light with such a political move.

He won't be able to do that." SPD leader Lars Klingbeil had already accused the Union of a "riot course" because of the planned application.

Chancellor Scholz initially rejected the delivery of heavy weapons from the Bundeswehr stocks.

Instead, the federal government wants to finance arms deliveries from the industry and support donations from alliance partners with replacement services, training or ammunition.

Heavy weapons from Bundeswehr stocks demanded

The Union's proposal specifically calls on the federal government "to provide armaments directly for Ukraine to the greatest possible extent from available Bundeswehr stocks and to deliver them there immediately, including "heavy weapons" such as armored weapon systems (including battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles) and artillery systems, and extensive reconnaissance equipment , command equipment, protective equipment, means of electronic warfare, rifles, ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and all other means necessary to combat the Russian invading troops".

In addition, the government should immediately decide on offers from the security and defense industry" to "deliver company-owned materials and weapons, including "heavy weapons" such as armored weapon systems and artillery systems, to Ukraine in the shortest possible time".

The "central coordination of Ukraine's requests for support" should be guaranteed "by a head office in the Federal Chancellery".

Habeck: The government is already doing a lot

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) emphasized in the ZDF program “Berlin direct”: “We are already doing a lot.

We make sure that heavy weapons come to Ukraine. ”He referred, for example, to the money pot provided for arms purchases from the industry.

"Well, what is pragmatic and can be done, that will be done." Habeck also said: "Depending on the dynamics of the war, I am sure that the Bundeswehr and the Federal Defense Minister will keep checking whether we can give more."

Despite the ongoing debate at the traffic lights, SPD leader Klingbeil sees no coalition crisis.

"You will see in the coming week that the government is closed," he said on the ARD program "Report from Berlin".

Klingbeil argued that the motion passed by the FDP party conference at the weekend, which advocates the delivery of heavy weapons from Germany to Ukraine, fully supports the government's course.

more on the subject

Ambassador to Ukraine demands one "marten" per week from traffic lights - Scholz responds to request for weapons from London

Dispute over arms deliveries: SPD is upset about the Union's "riot course".

Union is serious: Application for Ukraine weapons should come - and split traffic light coalition

A statement by SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese illustrates that the topic continues to cause tension in the coalition.

He told the "Rheinische Post" with a view to the FDP chairwoman of the defense committee: "Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann should recognize that you coordinate in a coalition and act together." You don't have to "speak into every microphone and communicate “.

dpa