The chairwoman of the defense committee accuses the federal government of a lack of communication in the Ukraine war. It shouldn’t be that “the world perceives Germany as a complete brakeman and loser”. Strack-Zimmermann demands an inventory for the ring exchange of weapons.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chairwoman of the Defense Committee, wants an inventory of the so-called ring exchange to support Ukraine with weapons. The FDP politician said that clear agreements on replacements would have to be made with partner countries that left Soviet-made weapons in Ukraine. “It must not be that at the end of the war the world perceives Germany as a complete brakeman and loser just because we are not able to organize and communicate,” said Strack-Zimmermann.
Germany had organized humanitarian aid and delivered high-value military material and weapons. “The chancellor has the strings in his hands and can let the puppets dance accordingly. I’m trying to understand why he doesn’t do it. Out of conviction, or because of his party?” Strack-Zimmermann said to Olaf Scholz. “And the Federal Minister of Defense is loyal to him. But it’s also her job to clear up the mess.”
Strack-Zimmermann reacted to sharp criticism from Poland, where there is obviously an expectation that modern military equipment from Germany will be immediately available for arms deliveries to the Ukraine. Dissatisfaction with the federal government had previously been expressed by other eastern NATO partners. “The Eastern European partners are concerned with the Leopard 2. When the rings were exchanged, they were obviously not clear about how the process would work in practice. I can’t imagine that a timeline wasn’t mentioned,” said Strack-Zimmermann.
“Unfortunately, this shows once again that communication within Germany and with the partner countries is not clear enough. For this we need a coordinator in the Chancellery who is responsible for organizing the arms deliveries.” Nor can it be a question of entrepreneurs taking advantage of the situation to put material that has already been discarded back on sale.