2024-08-21 02:46:46
The traffic light coalition is once again wrangling over aid to Ukraine. Once again, the dispute shows that the alliance is reaching its limits – trust in each other has been exhausted.
On Monday, everything should look as if nothing had happened: Berlin, Schiffbauerdamm 40, the Federal Press Conference building. The press spokespersons of the federal government take their seats in front of the blue wall that many people know from television. A routine event for the PR professionals of the Chancellor and his ministers; three times a week they answer questions from the capital’s press, always trying to present the government in a good light.
But that is exactly what is now becoming increasingly difficult in view of the ongoing dispute within the traffic light coalition. Only the evening before, Green Party leader Omid Nouripour had surprisingly clearly described the traffic light coalition on ARD as a “transitional coalition” after the Merkel era, as an alliance in which it is obvious “that trust has reached its limits”. And other things are becoming increasingly clear: the government appears to be reaching the end of its strength, its desire and its patience.
The most recent reason for this observation is a report in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” (“FAS”) over the weekend about financial aid for Ukraine. As the newspaper reported, the Ministry of Finance wrote in a letter to the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Office at the beginning of August that “new measures” with payment obligations should only be entered into if “financing is secured” in the budget plans for this and the coming years.
Germany wants to supply further combat systems
The conclusion of the “FAS”: Weapons deliveries and orders from Ukraine that have already been approved are still to be delivered, but additional material is no longer to be approved at the request of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The Chancellor’s promise to support the country invaded by Russia under all circumstances is shaky, according to the report. This not only annoys the Ministry of Defense, but also individual Green and SPD MPs, who see the blame with Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). He then appeared open to further financial aid, provided there are concrete requests for it – thereby passing the ball back to Pistorius.
Wolfgang Büchner, Scholz’s deputy government spokesman, tried to limit the damage on Monday. “Germany remains absolutely committed,” he said. “The Chancellor’s word still applies that support for Ukraine will continue as long as it is necessary and that no one, especially not the Russian President, can hope that we will let up on this.”
The determination to support Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia, has not changed. Four Iris-T air defense systems are to be delivered this year, as well as ten Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, 16 self-propelled howitzers, 10 Leopard battle tanks, combat drones and several thousand rounds of artillery and tank ammunition. They are also optimistic that, as planned, a way will be found by the end of the year to use the Russian billions frozen in Western accounts to finance a 50 billion dollar loan from the G7 for Ukraine.
And yet such words can hardly disguise the fact that not much is happening in the traffic light coalition anymore. With the new dispute over the Ukraine money, something like fatalism is once again spreading. It was almost clear that this would cause more trouble, say the traffic light coalition. And at the same time, they whisper: what the heck, now it’s just a matter of getting through somehow, at best until the next regular federal election in autumn 2025. But then that’ll be fine.
At least that is how several Ampel supporters from different factions describe it behind closed doors. Only a few still believe in the good intentions that have been made time and again to finally not start a new argument for a while. “Close your eyes and get on with it” is the motto of more and more MPs, says one. “It’s annoying and it’s incredibly tough,” says another.
It seems that no one is really considering an early end to the traffic light coalition anymore, even if all three partners mess up the eastern state elections in the coming weeks, as the polls suggest. They would rather have an orderly outcome until the end, even if only as a “transitional government” that no longer achieves much.