The German Bundestag supported the provision of heavy weapons to Ukraine
On Thursday, April 28, the German Bundestag overwhelmingly supported the provision of heavy weapons to Ukraine to counter Russia’s military aggression.
586 of the 693 deputies present in the Bundestag voted in favor, 100 voted against and seven abstained.
The decision to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons was preceded by almost 70 minutes of debate.
The document adopted by the Bundestag calls on the German government to expand and accelerate the provision of heavy weapons to our country.
-Along with broad economic isolation and the separation of Russia from international markets, the most important and effective way to stop the Russian invasion is to intensify and accelerate the supply of effective weapons and complex systems, including heavy weapons, – the document said.
Therefore, the deputies called on the German government to continue and, if possible, speed up the supply of necessary weapons to Ukraine, expanding it through heavy weapons. The provision of weapons to our state must take place in such a way that it does not weaken Germany’s defense capabilities.
In addition, Berlin will send more troops to strengthen NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe.
German lawmakers have backed sanctions against Russia and the restructuring of Germany’s infrastructure so that it does not depend on Russian energy supplies (the document calls for an end to Russian oil and gas imports).
Members of the Bundestag also supported assistance in the investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
– The German Bundestag strongly condemns the brutal aggressive war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. At the same time, Russia is grossly violating international and humanitarian law and is trying to destroy the European peace order forever, – the document says.
It is a joint proposal of the CDU / CSU opposition bloc and the parties in the ruling coalition. The document is entitled: Protection of Peace and Freedom in Europe – Comprehensive Support for Ukraine. The joint document was agreed upon by a dispute between the coalition parties (the Free Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Greens) and the opposition.
Only far-right parties (such as the Alternative for Germany) and far-left parties did not support the document.
During the debate, several German lawmakers, including CDU President Friedrich Mertz, sharply criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for paying a diplomatic visit to Japan while the Bundestag discussed weapons for Ukraine.
As you know, even after the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine, Berlin refused to help our country with weapons, including heavy weapons. It was only on April 26 that German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht confirmed that her country had agreed to supply Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.
Source: Deutsche Welle, Bloomberg, Bild, Der Spiegel