German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has publicly criticized her own government’s handling of Ukraine aid, revealing deep divisions within the interim cabinet amid ongoing election campaigning, Politico reports.
Baerbock, a leading Green Party politician, said:
“Germany as a whole isn’t currently seen as a driving force for peace policy in Europe, and honestly that pains me,” Baerbock told Politico’s Berlin Playbook Podcast.
She added that “Even now, during the election campaign, some prioritize a national perspective — or how to quickly gain a few votes in the parliamentary election — rather than taking real responsibility for securing Europe’s peace and freedom.”
The criticism emerges as Chancellor Scholz sparked domestic debate by making new Ukraine aid conditional on loosening constitutional fiscal restraints. Politico reports that in a television interview, Scholz stated he would not approve a €3 billion aid package for Ukraine, which has broad political support including from Baerbock, unless it is funded through new borrowing.
The aid package faces a deadlock as right-leaning parties, including the Christian Democratic Union and the fiscally-conservative Free Democratic Party, oppose taking on new debt despite supporting increased Ukraine aid.
Baerbock expressed concern about Germany’s tentative approach to Ukraine support, warning that “That trust must not be damaged again by hesitation, which could make other countries worry that Germany won’t stand by them.”
The Foreign Minister criticized previous German governments, particularly targeting the Christian Democratic Union under former Chancellor Angela Merkel and the SPD for their role in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. She challenged Merkel’s characterization of the pipeline as a “private-sector project,” stating to Politico:
“Just as Nord Stream 2 was never purely an economic project — despite what the CDU and SPD long wanted to believe — it’s also no coincidence that undersea data cables in the Baltic Sea keep getting damaged.”
Related:
- German Defense Minister denies reports of Scholz blocking € 3 billion weapons package for Ukraine
- Nazi symbols found after attack on Ukrainian refugees’ home in German town
- German AfD party refused to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine
- Germany’s Scholz blocks new € 3 billion Ukraine aid package
- German FM calls for more Russian shadow fleet sanctions after Baltic cable damage
- German FM calls for more Russian shadow fleet sanctions after Baltic cable damage
- German Foreign Minister: Ukraine aid is not “charity gesture” but rather “investment” in European security
- German Foreign Minister Baerbock warns: Without continued support for Ukraine, war could expand to EU and NATO
