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Welcomes the Chancellor's decision: Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann
Photo:
Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The Chancellor's long hesitation to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine aroused criticism not only in the traffic light coalition in Berlin, but also among allies.
How are Ukraine, German politics and Germany's allies reacting?
Ukrainian government official Andryj Yermak enthusiastically welcomed the news on his Telegram channel that the German tanks would become "the real fist against autocracy from the swamp".
In Germany, Chancellor Scholz's harshest critic was relieved: "The decision was tough, it took far too long, but in the end it is inevitable," said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chairwoman of the Defense Committee, the news the Leopard delivery.
Similar to them, Anton Hofreiter from the Greens had worked on Scholz's attitude.
"It is the right decision to support Ukraine with Leopard tanks," Hofreiter told the "Rheinische Post": "The goal is to increase Ukraine's defense capability and enable it to liberate occupied territories."
There is also approval from the largest opposition faction.
"The decision is correct," said Union faction leader Friedrich Merz, but at the same time accused the Chancellor of having hesitated too long.
If the Chancellor had "announced such a decision together with the French President (Emmanuel Macron) at the Franco-German Council of Ministers on the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty in Paris on Sunday, then this would have been joint political leadership," criticized Merz.
»So the image of a driven person who has hesitated too long remains.«
The deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Thomas Erndl (CSU), also criticized Scholz.
Its "massive decision-making weakness" caused an enormous loss of confidence in Europe and the USA.
AfD describes delivery as “irresponsible and dangerous”
The AfD in the Bundestag criticizes the federal government's decision to deliver Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine as "irresponsible and dangerous".
Faction leader Tino Chrupalla explained: »Germany is threatened with being drawn directly into the war.
Our armed forces will continue to be plundered by the delivery of tanks from Bundeswehr stocks.« In doing so, the Chancellor was jeopardizing the security of Germany and its citizens, he concluded.
tfb/dpa/Reuters