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Bundestag gives historic go for heavy weapons – Russia rumbles back: “It will end sadly”

2022-04-29T03:18:12.922Z


Bundestag gives historic go for heavy weapons – Russia rumbles back: “It will end sadly” Created: 04/29/2022, 05:06 By: Stephanie Munk Historic decision in the Bundestag: MPs voted by a large majority for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Berlin – The Bundestag supports the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. MEPs voted on Thursday with a large majority of 586 votes in favor of a joi


Bundestag gives historic go for heavy weapons – Russia rumbles back: “It will end sadly”

Created: 04/29/2022, 05:06

By: Stephanie Munk

Historic decision in the Bundestag: MPs voted by a large majority for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

Berlin – The Bundestag supports the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

MEPs voted on Thursday with a large majority of 586 votes in favor of a joint motion by the traffic light coalition and the Union faction in support of Ukraine.

It calls for Germany to “accelerate the delivery of effective, including heavy, weapons and complex systems”.

100 MPs voted no and 7 abstained.

A sometimes heated debate on the arms deliveries had previously taken place in the Bundestag.

Two days ago, the federal government had made a U-turn and decided to now want to deliver tanks and other heavy war equipment to Ukraine.

Expressions of anger came from Russia as early as Thursday afternoon: Ex-President Dmitri Medweg drew a comparison with Nazi Germany.

"Apparently, the German MPs are haunted by the laurels of their predecessors, who sat in the German parliament under a different name in the past century," wrote the deputy chief of the Russian Security Council on Thursday in the Telegram news channel.

"It's sad for Parliament.

It will end sadly.”

Approval for arms deliveries decided: That's in there

In the application entitled "Defending Peace and Freedom in Europe - Comprehensive Support for Ukraine", the Federal Government is asked to "continue and, where possible, accelerate the delivery of necessary equipment to Ukraine, including the delivery of heavy weapons and complex systems in the to expand the scope of the ring exchange”.

Germany's ability to defend the alliance should not be jeopardized.

The federal government also received explicit backing for all the steps taken so far, including sanctions against Russia, help with war crimes investigations and the restructuring of Germany's infrastructure to no longer be dependent on Russian energy supplies.

"The German Bundestag condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.

In doing so, Russia is blatantly breaking international and humanitarian law and is attempting to permanently destroy the European peace order.

Bundestag debate on Ukraine arms deliveries: Merz starts with sharp criticism of Olaf Scholz

Opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) began his speech in the Bundestag with harsh criticism of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

He accused Scholz of "uncertainty and weakness" in the use of language.

"For weeks, the Chancellor has stalled, left open, and evasively answered the discussion about whether arms should be delivered to Ukraine or not," criticized Merz.

That is not “prudence”, but “hesitation, procrastination, anxiety”.

This lost valuable time.

Friedrich Merz, CDU chairman, speaks on the topic of the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

© Fabian Sommer/dpa

Merz also called it "condescending" that Scholz had described members of the Bundestag who had criticized his position on arms sales to Ukraine as "boys and girls".

"That is not appropriate for a Chancellor," said Merz.

Scholz said in an interview, "I have to say to some of these boys and girls: Because I don't do what you want, that's why I lead." Apparently the three chairmen of the committees for foreign affairs, defense and Europe were meant - Michael Roth (SPD), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and Anton Hofreiter (Greens), who traveled to western Ukraine in mid-April

Bundestag debates arms deliveries to Ukraine: Merz calls warnings of third world war "irresponsible"

Regarding the deliveries of heavy weapons in the fight against Putin's army, Merz says that these must "always be the last resort" and are not least "an admission of the failure of diplomacy".

The Union would not endorse this lightly, but a new situation has arisen since Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Merz called concerns that the delivery of heavy weapons would increase the risk of a third world war “irresponsible” and “a grotesque reversal of cause and effect.” Other countries have also been supplying tanks and the like to Ukraine for a long time, “why should German weapons in particular have this effect?” Germany, in particular, must know “that appeasement and calming down is what makes the spread of aggression possible in the first place,” said Merz.

An aggressor like Putin must also be countered with heavy weapons.

If you fail to do so, sooner or later it will also threaten other countries.

Video: The whole live stream from the Bundestag

Live stream provided by br24.de

Bundestag debates Ukraine arms deliveries: Klingbeil urges prudence even at the "turning point"

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil spoke after Merz on behalf of the SPD parliamentary group - Chancellor Scholz is currently on a state visit to Japan.

Klingbeil first recalled the horrors of war and the suffering of the people in Ukraine.

"We stand with Ukraine, we make that clear with this motion."

Lars Klingbeil, SPD chairman, speaks on the topic of the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

© Fabian Sommer/dpa

With a view to Merz' general criticism of the Chancellor, Klingbeil then emphasized: "Mr. Merz, it was important for me to say that at the beginning.

It took you five minutes.” The leader of the opposition had the opportunity to “give a political speech, but it became partisan,” Klingbeil shot back, “but this is not the place for party political profiling.”

Germany supports Ukraine since the beginning of the war, Klingbeil reminded us, "but we also have principles": You have to coordinate with international partners, you have to keep enough of your own resources for your own defense and defense of the NATO alliance area and you must not become a party to the war yourself.

"I'm grateful that we have a government that can make decisions quickly, but also has basic convictions and principles that you don't throw overboard even at a turning point in time."

Bundestag debate on arms deliveries: Ukraine cannot be extradited to Russia without protection

The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine breaks "blatantly" with international law and destroys the European peace and security order, Green Party leader Britta Haßelmann said in her speech.

Ukraine has an “unrestricted right to self-defense”.

Germany does not want to become a party to the war, but cannot hand the country over to the aggressor Russia without protection.

That is why Ukraine must also be supported with arms deliveries.

The Greens member of the Bundestag Agnieszka Brugger criticized Merz's general attack on Chancellor Scholz via Twitter: He should have demonstrated unity instead of appearing so sharply.

Bundestag debate on arms deliveries to Ukraine: Habeck explains himself in an emotional video

Shortly before the start of the Bundestag debate, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) published a video on Twitter in which he explained why he would vote for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.

In the video, Habeck describes his trip to Ukraine a year ago in an emotional way.

He now knows that the hotel in Mariupol where he was staying at the time has been destroyed and wonders if the people he met there are still alive.

He was aware that Germany's decision to deliver heavy weapons would also cause people to die, said Habeck: "In this case, Russian soldiers, but they probably had better plans than giving their lives for Putin." I therefore also understand people who find the delivery of weapons wrong.

"But I think not deciding to do so is more to blame," Habeck explains his decision to vote for the motion in the Bundestag.

"Even if you don't do anything, you participate in the killing."

Bundestag debate on arms deliveries to Ukraine: Strack-Zimmermann denounces “German calm”.

The chair of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said at the debate that Germany had overlooked warning signs and watched "naively, ignorantly, in German calm" as Russia instigated a war in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, the FDP party said. Politician on Thursday in the Bundestag.

Since then, 14,000 people have died.

"It's about freedom and democracy, about self-determination, about human rights that are trampled on," said Strack-Zimmermann.

Therefore, please, call and shout to Ukraine "for our help".

Strack-Zimmermann emphasized: "And that may get on some people's nerves.

But we should be ready to stand there until Ukraine's full territorial integrity is restored.”

Bundestag debate on Ukraine arms deliveries: Union faction vice criticizes the absence of Scholz

Union faction Vice Johann Wadephul (CDU) criticized in the debate that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was not present because of his trip to Japan.

In this historic situation and after the difficult decision to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, it would have been his responsibility as chancellor to explain to Germany and the world why this decision had been made, Wadephul said.

AfD faction leader Tino Chrupalla had previously described it as "inexcusable" that Scholz was not present.

The Bundestag argues about war and peace "and Mr. Scholz travels to Japan for the cherry blossoms".

(smu with material from AFP)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-04-29

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