Former Federal President Joachim Gauck sees the turning point announced by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) after Russia’s attack on Ukraine as fundamental. Gauck told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”: “Chancellor Scholz may be acting slowly, but he is acting.”
If Germany, for example, strengthens the NATO forces in Lithuania under German leadership, “then it is not just a symbol, but a very concrete strengthening of defense readiness”. The delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine was “a clear signal that the change is meant seriously and that we are not falling back into a phase of wishful thinking,” Gauck judged.
A few days ago, the first heavy weapons from Germany arrived in the Ukraine in the form of seven self-propelled howitzers. So far, however, NATO countries have not supplied certain weapon systems, such as combat aircraft and battle tanks. When asked by the editorial network Germany (RND) about the delivery of armored personnel carriers and battle tanks, Greens boss Omid Nouripour said: “The situation is constantly changing. That is why the attitude towards individual weapon systems can also change.” However, this will be decided “only together with international allies”.
