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Habeck warns of the escalation of the food crisis because of the Ukraine war - and wants a new trade order

2022-05-24T02:53:41.247Z


Habeck warns of the escalation of the food crisis because of the Ukraine war - and wants a new trade order Created: 05/24/2022, 04:46 By: Richard Strobl, Bettina Menzel, Franziska Schwarz The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has again addressed the traffic light government. He denounced slow arms shipments. Reactions from Germany to the Ukraine war in the news ticker. "Putin's calculation": A Germa


Habeck warns of the escalation of the food crisis because of the Ukraine war - and wants a new trade order

Created: 05/24/2022, 04:46

By: Richard Strobl, Bettina Menzel, Franziska Schwarz

The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has again addressed the traffic light government.

He denounced slow arms shipments.

Reactions from Germany to the Ukraine war in the news ticker.

  • "Putin's calculation": A German ex-ambassador sees a "new hybrid warfare" against Europe.

  • Because of the sluggish delivery of weapons to Ukraine, CDU leader Friedrich Merz again attacks the traffic light government.

  • Weapons deliveries to Ukraine: Delivery of 30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to be completed before September.

  • This 

    news ticker on reactions from Germany to the Russia-Ukraine war

     is continuously updated.

Update from May 23, 8:08 p.m

.: People who fled because of the Ukraine war can exchange Ukrainian hryvnia at banks and savings banks from Tuesday (May 24).

The Federal Ministry of Finance under Christian Lindner (FDP) and the Deutsche Bundesbank reached an agreement with the Ukrainian National Bank on Monday.

A total of 1.5 billion hryvnia should initially be allowed to be exchanged.

Every adult who has fled can exchange the equivalent of 300 euros and have it paid into a German account.

The exchange rate published on the website of the Bundesbank is decisive.

The exchange should be free of charge.

"We see it as our social responsibility to support the participation of refugees from Ukraine to the best of our ability," said the general manager of the Association of German Banks (BdB), Christian Ossig.

"After the possibility of opening an account, we are taking another pragmatic approach with the hryvnia exchange." The BdB is currently the leader of the umbrella association of the German banking industry, which brings together the five major banking associations in Germany.

War in Ukraine: Robert Habeck (Greens) calls for cooperation in view of the food crisis

Update from May 23, 5:46 p.m .:

Robert Habeck has called for international cooperation in view of an impending global food crisis as a result of the Ukraine war.

"Unless we find another solution, we will have a major shortage of global calories next year," said the Economics Minister.

"This food crisis will specifically hit regions that were not among the wealthiest or most stable," he warned Monday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

"And if we respond in such a way that every country only takes care of itself, i.e. stocks up on its own, then this crisis will escalate."

Habeck spoke out in favor of global cooperation and open markets.

"And of course we are also required to reduce our own, sometimes somewhat exuberant, consumption of food," he said.

Instead of just reflecting on oneself, a new global trading order must be in place: “Hold on to the fact that we interact with each other globally, do so in solidarity, fairly and justly and for the benefit of the people and not just for the benefit of a few companies’ profits. "

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Robert Habeck: The Economics Minister sees the world community facing major challenges.

© Laurent Gillieron/dpa

Ukraine War: Delivery of anti-aircraft tanks to be completed before September

Update from May 23, 2:10 p.m .:

The delivery of 30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine should be completed before September if possible.

After the previously announced provision of 15 Gepard tanks by mid-July, the rest should be delivered by the industry by the end of August, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense said on Monday in Berlin.

Accordingly, Ukraine's contracts with industry are expected to be concluded this week.

This also envisages the training of Ukrainian cheetah crews by the industry itself, the spokesman said.

The Bundeswehr supports this, among other things, by providing suitable shooting ranges.

At the end of April, Germany gave the go-ahead for the delivery of the tanks no longer used by the Bundeswehr.

Meanwhile, the accusation was raised from the Union that the federal government was deliberately delaying the delivery of heavy weapons.

Ukraine conflict: Habeck for closed EU oil embargo against Russia

Update from May 23, 11:53

a.m .: The World Economic Forum in Davos also has Volodymyr Zelenskyj as a guest this time.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is again pushing for a closed EU oil embargo against Russia at the meeting.

He accepts that some countries still need time for this, Habeck told Deutschlandfunk.

However, he criticized a “haggling” in which other EU countries were also involved in addition to Hungary under Viktor Orbán.

However, Habeck refused to go it alone on an embargo in the wake of the Ukraine war.

The Green also once again berated Vladimir Putin for using "hunger as a weapon" and called for a global initiative to support countries whose food supply is threatened by the war-related blockade of Ukrainian agricultural exports.

Habeck also warned of the risk of a global recession.

There are currently at least four interconnected crises, he said in his speech at the World Economic Forum.

"We cannot solve the problems if we only focus on one of the problems," warned Habeck.

"But if none of the problems are solved, then I'm really concerned that we're moving into a global recession." 

Arms deliveries to Ukraine: SPD parliamentary group criticizes Strack-Zimmermann's criticism

Update from May 23, 9.49 a.m

.: FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has accused the federal government of being hesitant to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine.

She has now renewed her criticism.

In an interview with RTL/n-tv, Strack-Zimmermann admitted that a lead time was required for arms deliveries, but added: "The annoying thing is that you could have started weeks ago.

That's actually the bitter part."

The FDP politician again called for a "coordinator" for the arms deliveries - and also for better communication about arms deliveries from the Chancellery, "so that the impression is not given that we are not doing anything here".

She described the previous communication as manageable and in need of improvement.

However, it is not unusual that the arms deliveries did not take place so quickly.

The equipment had to be set up and prepared, and soldiers had to be trained.

That takes time, says Strack-Zimmermann.

According to a report in the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

, the SPD parliamentary group is displeased with the criticism.

"Ms. Strack-Zimmermann runs the business of the opposition: her daily criticism damages the reputation of her own government," said SPD MP Axel Schäfer, according to the newspaper.

Strack-Zimmermann is chair of the defense committee.

Marie Agnes Strack Zimmermann © Michael Gstettenbauer/Imago

War in Ukraine: Justice Minister Buschmann worried about Mariupol prisoners of war

Update from May 23, 6:13 a.m

.: Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann has expressed concern about the prisoners of war in Mariupol.

"Russia's massive violations of international law are completely unacceptable - but they also fill us with great concern with regard to the population of Ukraine and the soldiers who have now been taken prisoner," said the FDP politician to the

Rheinische Post

.

Germany and the Ukraine war: Kiesewetter accuses Scholz of playing for time when it comes to arms deliveries

Update from May 22, 11 p.m.:

The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter has massively criticized the course of the federal government in the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia.

He accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of hesitation and playing for time on Sunday evening in the ARD talk show "Anne Will".

“The German industry already made it clear on February 28 that they could very quickly upgrade around 100 Leopards and around 100 Martens.

No order to date.”

When asked why the Chancellor wasn't doing this, Kiesewetter said: "I think he's playing for time." The CDU politician added: "The longer this war lasts and we don't deliver, the more difficult it will be for Ukraine.

The words after an armistice, that is, a freeze on Russian profits, become all the louder.” Kiesewetter continued: “I'm afraid that the Federal Chancellor doesn't want Ukraine to win this war.

Wins in the sense that Russian troops are driven out of the country.”

Reactions from Germany: Merz goes to Olaf Scholz

Update from May 22, 7:58 p.m .:

The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has again denounced the course of the federal government in arms deliveries to Ukraine to ward off the Russian attack.

"The Federal Republic of Germany has not delivered any heavy weapons to this day," said Merz in an interview broadcast on Sunday evening on the ZDF program "Berlin direct".

Others have been doing more for a long time.

"If everyone behaved like the Federal Republic of Germany, the Russian army would have taken Kyiv long ago."

The opposition and representatives of Ukraine have repeatedly accused the German government of being hesitant to deliver heavy weapons.

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for German leadership at the weekend.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had repeatedly rejected allegations of hesitancy, referred to the support provided so far and at the same time rejected "hasty action".

"Putin's calculus": Germany's ex-ambassador declares "new hybrid warfare" by Russia against Europe

First report from May 22, 2022:

Berlin - The long-standing German ambassador to Russia, Rüdiger von Fritsch, accuses Moscow of using the global supply crisis caused by the Ukraine war and the resulting threat of refugee movements as a means of warfare.

"Vladimir Putin is specifically trying to create hunger crises in the Middle East and North Africa," said von Fritsch in the Berlin

Tagesspiegel

about the Russian head of state.

That is why Russia is preventing Ukraine from exporting grain and even bombing grain silos.

Ukraine war: German ex-ambassador explains Russia's calculations

"Putin's calculus is that after grain supplies collapse, starving people will flee these regions and try to get to Europe - like the millions of Syrians who fled the horrors of war did then," said von Fritsch, who informed Putin in met in person several times in the past.

"

He wants to destabilize Europe with new streams of refugees and build up political pressure so that Western countries give up their tough stance against Russia."

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, attends a meeting of leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) at the Kremlin.

© Alexander Nemenov

This is "

a new form of hybrid warfare

", criticized the diplomat, who will soon be publishing the book "Turning Points: Putin's War and the Consequences".

Ex-German ambassador to the Ukraine war: "Putin overturned the chessboard"

Von Fritsch does not believe in a quick end to the war.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Putin "turned over the chessboard" and "abruptly ended the successful attempt to jointly create security in Europe".

Defeat in Ukraine is out of the question for Putin, as he is now fighting for his own power in Russia, said the ex-ambassador.

Therefore, there is a high probability "that he will try to continue and escalate this war."

According to von Fritsch, he does not believe that the Russian head of state could also use nuclear weapons: “Vladimir Putin is neither crazy nor irrational.

It obeys a different logic.” The statements of the Russian leadership on the deliveries of heavy weapons to Ukraine by Western countries made it clear “that up to now they have very carefully avoided getting into a military confrontation with NATO”.

(afp)

We have summarized the background to the Ukraine conflict for you here.

You can read the previous news on German reactions in the Ukraine war here.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-05-24

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