The proposal envisages expanding and accelerating the arms support to Ukraine to include heavy weapons. The parties forming the government in Germany pressed the button to send heavy weapons to Ukraine. The parliamentary groups of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which make up the coalition, prepared a draft resolution to be put to vote in the Bundestag this week. The bill asks the government to “continue and, if possible, speed up the shipment of necessary equipment to Ukraine, and expand the shipment to include heavy weapons and complex systems within the framework of ‘exchange'”. It is demanded that these steps be taken without “compromising” Germany’s contributions to NATO defense.
The bill, which will be presented by the parliamentary groups of the three parties, also asks to go to Ukraine “to examine whether other weapons can be sent and to go to other countries to offer ‘exchanges'”. The concept of “exchange” (Ringtausch) refers to the replacement of the military equipment of the Eastern European countries, which shipped the old Soviet type weapons in their inventory to Ukraine, with German weapons.
Training of Ukrainian soldiers
In the draft resolution, it is requested that the equipment gaps in the German army that will occur due to arms shipments should be closed “as quickly as possible”. The draft also requires Ukrainian soldiers to be trained in Germany and other NATO countries for the use of the sent weapon systems. It is demanded that this happen in the “short, medium and long term” with Germany’s partners.
It is stated that the proposal to be voted in the Bundestag this week will not be binding on the Federal Government and is a recommendation in nature.
There are 41 items
There are 41 items in the proposal. These items include support for diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, humanitarian aid to refugees inside and outside of Ukraine, aid to neighboring countries such as Moldova and Georgia, further restriction of economic relations with Russia and Belarus, support for Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership, and China to help resolve the problem. There are topics such as more inclusion of .
According to the proposal, the Bundestag wants the government to make tougher demands on Russia. “The Russian regime must immediately end the conflict, withdraw the forces under its control and all war materials from all Ukraine’s sovereignty, and unconditionally respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within internationally recognized borders,” the text states.
AFP, dpa/EC, HT