What's next for German aid to Ukraine?
As the budget belt is cinched in Germany, a debate has flared up in the country over military aid to Ukraine. According to a newspaper report, only previously approved aid for Kyiv will be made available and no new funding will be authorised. Funds from frozen Russian assets will be used instead. Commentators are sceptical.
A risky step
The coalition's budget dispute must not result in Ukraine being left in the lurch, the Frankfurter Rundschau insists:
“The government wants to continue to support Ukraine, but the money is to come from the interest on frozen Russian Central Bank money. The problem, however, is that it is not yet clear when and how exactly the G7 states' plan can be implemented. If German military aid for Ukraine were to be significantly cut back for budgetary reasons, the German government would in the worst case scenario implement what the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance and AfD are calling for. This must not happen.”
Don't dream of the good old days
wPolityce takes a worried look at German politics:
“The combination of political instability and an economic slump could strengthen the forces in Germany that are genuinely in favour of an agreement with Russia and dream of a return to the 'good old days'. This does not necessarily have to take the form of an electoral triumph for the AfD or Wagenknecht: an increase in support for these groups will suffice. Then, in response to the public mood, the mainstream parties could decide to rethink their policies on the key issue - at least for us - namely their stance on Russia.”
Victim of the debt brake
La Repubblica reviews the background to the German budget dispute:
“Malicious tongues will say that Olaf Scholz has found a way to pull a fast one on his most dangerous rival, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who is not only his party colleague but above all has been the most popular politician in Germany for over a year. ... But the headline in Sunday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung confirms what has been rumoured for days, namely that the government majority in Berlin has reached yet another fragile agreement on the budget. Yielding to the imperative of Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who is obsessed with a balanced budget, Scholz has cut funding for Ukraine.”