06:36 PM
Saturday, January 28, 2023
(Deutsche Welle)
After Germany announced the supply of combat tanks to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reassured his citizens that they always put Germany’s security in mind. Moscow demanded Berlin clarify about a statement by the German Foreign Minister about “a war against Russia.”
After his country pledged to supply German-made Leopard 2 combat tanks to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that the country’s security “is always before our eyes.”
This came in Schultz’s video speech, which is broadcast every Saturday. The chancellor said that his government will always take into account “consultation, balancing and coordination,” adding that “this is the principle followed by this government,” stressing that the goal is “not to allow Russia to be able to change borders by force.”
Scholz said that many citizens wish “that the war will not come close, and that the government and the chancellor will keep their nerves calm, and this is exactly my promise to you.”
The German government promised Ukraine last Wednesday to provide it with 14 Leopard 2 tanks from the German army’s stocks, after long hesitation on the part of Berlin.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the creation of a special fund for the modernization of the army on February 27, 2022, just three days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the new German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, said on Friday to the newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that the budget allocated for the modernization of the army, amounting to 100 billion euros, is not sufficient.
He also cast doubt on Germany’s annual defense budget of nearly 50 billion euros, saying, “I don’t think this will be enough.” Pistorius pointed out that the army will incur new costs estimated at billions to replace the weapons it sends from its stocks to Ukraine.
Russia is asking for clarification about Berbock’s statements
Schulz’s reassurance of the Germans comes after a controversy over a statement by German Foreign Minister Annalina Baerbock about a “war against Russia”. On the one hand, Germany stressed that it is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine, but on the other hand, Baerbock said that the countries of Europe are fighting a war against Russia. And Berbock, before the Council of Europe in Strasbourg last Tuesday, called for interdependence between the Western allies, saying: “We are fighting a war against Russia, not against each other.”
Berbock’s remarks sparked outrage in Russia, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova demanded on Friday an explanation from the German ambassador in Moscow for the “contradictory” statements issued by Berlin. “Do they realize what they are talking about?” Zakharova wrote on Telegram. Russian media immediately focused on the remark as a key phrase for war propaganda as evidence that Germany and other EU countries are direct parties to the conflict in Ukraine and are fighting against Russia.
Last Wednesday evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz answered a question on Channel 2 of the German television “ZDF” whether Germany and its allies were participating in the war with the tanks it sends: “No, absolutely not,” and added: “There must be no war between Russia.” and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The Foreign Ministry in Berlin made clear following Birbock’s remarks that Germany “is not a party to the conflict.” The ZDF channel quoted Claudia Major, a security expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, as saying that it was a “very unfortunate slip of the tongue” by Baerbock that Russian propaganda is now exploiting.
Scholz left Berlin today, Saturday, for South America, on board the new government plane, “Konrad Adenauer”, on his first official visit to the continent as chancellor of Germany. Schultz begins his four-day tour by visiting the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, before heading to Chile and Brazil, amid calls from German economic circles to give priority to strengthening trade and investment relations with the continent.
