Is Germany to blame that Ukraine is so poorly armed against Putin’s aggression?
Officially, the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel (67, CDU) has always been closely on the side of Ukraine. The Chancellor and her respective SPD Foreign Ministers Frank-Walter Steinmeier (65), Sigmar Gabriel (62) and Heiko Maas (55) emphasized that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country are decisive for Germany.
But only a few weeks after the end of the Merkel era, the alleged German-Ukrainian solidarity structure is getting deep cracks.
Yesterday, the new Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, 55, accused Germany of harming Ukraine not only by building Nord Stream 2, but also by blocking the purchase of weapons systems to defend the country. Weapons systems that the country has already paid for, but which are still not received under pressure from Germany.
Federal government uses back door to block US and Lithuanian arms shipments
BILD research supports this allegation. According to this, Germany has been using a mechanism within NATO since May 2021 to prevent other members of the alliance from selling weapons to Ukraine for its defense.
► According to BILD information, the weapon systems blocked by German vetoes are 90 “Barrett M82” anti-material rifles from the USA and 20 “EDM4S-UA” anti-drone rifles from Lithuania. Ukraine had already paid for both weapon systems at the beginning of 2021 through the “Nato Support and Procurement Agency” (NSPA) and was awaiting delivery.
Photo: TSN/1+1
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/ein-ukrainischer-soldat-bedient-im-oktober-ein-anti-drohnen-gewehr-vom-typ-edm4s-ua-ueber- detours-umgi-8b356a7d4a9245cdbfd9645ad6f8ac8c-78532128 / image / 5.image.jpg “/> A Ukrainian soldier operated an “EDM4S-UA” anti-drone rifle in October. Ukraine indirectly circumvented the German export veto, at least for a first sample of the weapon systemPhoto: TSN/1+1
But in May a German and a Dutch representative on the NSPA council opposed the sales and blocked them. “Every decision to offer the Ukraine lethal support through the NSPA is subject to the consensus of the allies in individual cases,” said a NATO spokeswoman on BILD.
The two dissenting votes put the business on hold. Although some of the systems were NOT lethal weapons.
“The fact that the Netherlands stood on the side of Germany against the rest of NATO happened on instructions from Berlin,” an insider told BILD. The Merkel government wanted to prevent the impression that it was the only one against the sale.
Photo: Bundeswehr / Carsten Vennemann
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/auch-die-bundeswehr-foto-nutzt-das-amerikanische-anti-material-gewehr-vom-typ-m82-als-g82- seit-d2470a67f0fc483aa7eca716685f6c29-78532200 / image / 5.image.jpg “/> The German Armed Forces (photo) have also been using the American anti-material rifle type “M82” (as “G82”) successfully for years. Ukraine wants to buy 90 of them, but so far without success due to the German vetoPhoto: Bundeswehr / Carsten Vennemann
Merkel turned Selensky off
In August, BILD learned, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky (43) pleaded with Chancellor Merkel during her visit to Kiev to end the blockade of arms purchases from the USA, Lithuania and other NATO countries.
“Excluded”, so Merkel’s ice-cold answer, according to someone present.
Photo: STEFANIE LOOS / AFP
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/zweimal-trafen-sich-merkel-und-selensky-im-sommer-2021–erhaben-liess-sich-die-kanzlerin-bei -den-t-fbce8ca8698540c688d790936872543a-78531524 / image / 5.bild.jpg “/> Merkel and Selensky met twice in the summer of 2021 – the Chancellor did not allow herself to be softened at the meetings, according to one participantPhoto: STEFANIE LOOS / AFP