cover image: OSW Commentary - German arms deliveries to Ukraine – the SPD’s controversial course

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OSW Commentary - German arms deliveries to Ukraine – the SPD’s controversial course

12 May 2022

According to the media, the cost of the arms transferred to Ukraine from 24 February to the end of March 2022 by Germany – the largest EU state, claiming leadership in both the EU and NATO, and one of the world’s major arms exporters – was €186 mil- lion, while according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy it was €119 million. [...] The restrained position of the Chancellery and the Social Democrats was publicly denounced not only by the opposition Christian Democrats but also by representatives of the coalition parties – the Greens and the Liberals – and the few Social Democrats in the Bundestag who believe that Ukraine must prevail in this war. [...] The loudest voices in favour of more supplies, including heavy weapons, have been the chairpersons of the three parliamen- tary committees for defence, foreign affairs and European affairs – Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of the FDP, Anton Hofreiter of the Greens and Michael Roth of the SPD, who made a joint visit to Ukraine in the first half of April, which was publicly criticised by the Chancelle. [...] At the same time, the coalition partners do not openly talk about the real reasons for the reticence of the Chancellery, as these are no longer in line with the goals of the Biden administration, nor would they be well received by public opinion in Germany.2 Although the discussion about military support for Ukraine is intensifying, the ruling coalition is un- likely to fall apart. [...] They also spoke unfavourably of attempts to divide the coalition in the Bundestag, where the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Friedrich Merz, announced that he would table a draft resolution calling on the government to significantly increase arms supplies to Ukraine, including heavy equipment from the Bundeswehr’s resources, in the hope of winning the votes of the Greens and the FDP.

Authors

Justyna Gotkowska; Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW)

Pages
5
Published in
Poland