2024-03-02 20:11:03
Olaf Scholz rules out the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron doesn’t even want to rule out ground troops. Germany and France are strategically at odds.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) clearly contradicted French President Emmanuel Macron in the debate about European ground troops for Ukraine. “That is impossible,” said Habeck on the sidelines of the Green party meeting in Leipzig about Macron’s statements from the previous day. “That has always been the clear line that we will not become a party to the war in Ukraine.” This means that German soldiers do not go to Ukraine.
Habeck instead appealed to Macron to do more. “I’m happy if France thinks about how it can provide more support to Ukraine,” said Habeck. “But if I can give a hint, it is: supply more weapons. Do what you can do now, give Ukraine the ammunition and the tanks that can be provided, now. The time has really come “Not to leave Ukraine alone.”
The chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), clearly criticized the strategic differences between Berlin and Paris. Unlike Macron, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) once again ruled out aid to Ukraine on Monday, namely Taurus cruise missiles.
“Germany definitely doesn’t have to share this assessment, but what is striking is that Macron is the driver. The Chancellor is the brake,” Strack-Zimmermann told t-online. “By the way, fatal for Europe. What a picture, the friends argue completely differently. Putin will be happy.”
The chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter (Greens), was also concerned. “The actions of Scholz and Macron unfortunately show that German-French cooperation at the highest level is not going smoothly,” Hofreiter told t-online. “We urgently need a joint European initiative for what is needed now in Ukraine so that it can defend itself against Russian attacks.” The Paris summit resolutions are a first step in the right direction.
Video | Scholz: No deployment of ground troops from NATO states
Hofreiter criticized both Macron and Scholz. “The French President’s advances are not appropriate to the current situation,” said Hofreiter. They caused unrest and disunity at a time when quick, joint action was needed. “Scholz is worried about an escalation of the conflict. I share this concern, but I fear that the Chancellor’s behavior will have the opposite effect of what he wants to achieve,” said Hofreiter. “Scholz is sending a message of weakness by withholding urgently needed weapons from Ukraine. Putin exploits every weakness.”
Scholz’s no, Macron’s maybe
On Monday morning, Chancellor Scholz initially gave detailed reasons for his renewed rejection of the Taurus delivery at the editor-in-chief conference of the dpa news agency. “German soldiers must not be linked to the goals that this system achieves at any point or place. Not even in Germany,” said Scholz. From his point of view, the use of Taurus would only be possible with the participation of his own German personnel. That’s why it’s not on the agenda.
On Monday evening, after the conclusion of the Ukraine aid conference in Paris, in which Scholz also took part, Macron took a completely different strategic line than his partner from Germany. Nothing can be ruled out to prevent a Russian victory in Ukraine, said Macron.