The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, which has received the mandate to form the German government, will have to convince its future coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), of the necessity to increase military aid to Ukraine.
Marcus Faber, Chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee of the 20th convocation, stated this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“I believe it is time for the new federal government to declare that what is available in the Bundeswehr should also be accessible to Ukraine, and to initiate the supply of, for example, Taurus missiles,” said Faber.
The key factor, he noted, is how the CDU/CSU bloc will act now that they are in power. While in opposition, they advocated for sending Taurus missiles and increasing military support for Ukraine. As the ruling party, they will now have to convince their SPD coalition partners, which could lead to a political confrontation between the conservatives and the Social Democrats.
“This is quite challenging; a conflict is emerging here. This issue must be reflected in the coalition agreement. The previous agreement (from 2021) did not address it, but now it must. It is time for these two coalition partners to come to an agreement,” Faber stated.
Faber, who has visited Ukraine five times during the full-scale war, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kramatorsk, and Kharkiv, has spoken with wounded soldiers receiving German medical aid and troops using German-supplied weapons. He has also met with pilots striking enemy targets with Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles.
“The UK has already done this (supplied long-range missiles), as has France. Germany can do the same with Taurus missiles. It is time to start training on these systems and delivering them. These missiles can destroy enemy logistics and command centers,” he emphasized.
He also noted that while some in Germany act as if peace has suddenly come to Ukraine, drones and missiles continue to strike every night. As long as Ukraine is being bombed, Germany must continue its military support, Faber insisted, adding that the new government must be judged by its actions, not words. He urged Ukrainians and their allies to pressure the new German government to maintain its military assistance.
Faber will remain Chairman of the Defense Committee for another month, until the Bundestag of the 20th convocation dissolves. His party, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), failed to enter the next Bundestag, but he promised to continue supporting Ukraine.
Until November 6, 2024, the FDP was a junior partner in a three-party coalition with the SPD and the Greens. However, after growing tensions, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), leading to the collapse of the coalition and early elections, in which the FDP failed to pass the threshold. Scholz personally blocked the transfer of long-range missiles to Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s requests since May 2023.
