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German Bundestag
Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA
Ukraine can count on German Leopard 2 tanks in its fight against Russian troops.
With the decision to deliver 14 of the type, Germany is expanding its military support for Ukraine.
The week-long debate about military aid seems to have ended for the time being with the announcement by the federal government in the morning.
In the Bundestag, however, the decision continued to cause discussions in the afternoon.
In view of the long hesitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on the tank question, the Union had applied for a current hour under the title "End the Leopard blockade of the federal government - don't lose trust with allies".
Under the changed starting point, the deputies now commented accordingly on the decision that had been made.
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU)
welcomed the decision of the federal government to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
At the same time, he criticized the fact that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had not explained why the decision to deliver was only made now.
Germany left its international partners in the dark for weeks.
Merz complained that the federal government should have been pushed - this was shown, for example, in the discussions about arms deliveries at the US military base in Ramstein last week.
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich admitted
that the decision made in the morning was "an exhausting but necessary voting process" that led to an "acceptable result".
In view of the numerous criticisms, Mützenich spoke of "unhelpful" and "irresponsible" comments from "permanent speakers" that made coordination with international partners more difficult.
Many commentators lack the necessary background knowledge to correctly assess the situation.
"You and before that the CDU are plundering our Bundeswehr"
AfD faction leader Tino Chrupalla
expressed incomprehension for the release of Leopard deliveries by the federal government.
According to Chrupalla, the deliveries came at the expense of the Bundeswehr's defense readiness.
"You and before that the CDU are plundering our Bundeswehr," Chrupalla said.
Green MP Jürgen Trittin
said that further military aid was essential for Ukraine
.
The support is still not enough.
"We seriously want to prevent Russia from overrunning Ukraine - that's in our own interest," said Trittin.
Trittin also criticized the Polish government for pushing Leopard deliveries before they were formally requested.
The
FDP member of parliament Ulrich Lechte
emphasized that Ukraine had expressly asked for the tanks.
"The Russian Federation is the aggressor and not the federal government."
Left faction leader Dietmar Bartsch
doubted the military effectiveness of the tank deliveries.
He pushed for a European peace initiative.
"The delivery of battle tanks may have a majority in the Bundestag, but the opposite is the case in the population."
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had defended his approach to the planned Leopard deliveries to Ukraine at a previous question time in the Bundestag.
"It was right and it's right that we didn't let ourselves drift," said Scholz.
Coordination with international allies was important: "Close cooperation and coordination is the principle."
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