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On April 26 2022 06:19 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
Think just like Russian military strength the FSB may have been overblown as well. If this is true.
The "how do you do, fellow Nazis?" starter pack is hilarious
+ Show Spoiler +
I'm looking forward to when they will try to prove the SAS involvement claims. The loot will likely include a picture of the Queen, a freshly printed Union Jack shirt with packing creases and all, some teabags and a Shakespeare book.
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On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Germany was fine with selling armored vehicles and missiles to Russia up until last week. With the pacifist movement turning a blind eye because Russia can do no wrong in their eyes.
...obviously they don't care what they don't know about. the german pacifist movement is not some crack investigative team, its mostly just people with strong convictions that will get noisy if they catch wind of something. until then they slumber. The fact that these are the kind of people that are advocating for protests and civil disobedience from ukraine instead of taking up arms vs russia should tell you all you need to know about the pacifist movement.
It's not about heavy weapons or not, it's that Germany and especially its politicians lied about the situation for egoistic reasons, including personal wealth in the case of Schroeder.
Welcome to politics and there are much better skeletons in the closet than one that is ~17years old by now though... he started it, but merkel and her goverment are much more to blame since they had since then to diverge from this path and did not chose so. But that would fit less into the narrative of them just doing it for the money I guess. schroeder is a pretty embarrassing outlier in that regard.
And let me play the world's smallest violin for your pharmaceutical companies being hurt if we stop literal genocide, you know, the thing Germany promised could Never Again happen.
Fair point
But, fine, don't do any of the scary things. How about you seize oligarch Yachts or something? Oh, wait, Germany is at 300k seized versus billions and tens of billions elsewhere.
Fair point. Though a more interesting comparison would be to see what nations do vs how much it hurts them, that would be an actual metric if you want to measure how many good boy points should be awarded. My impression from the sanctions so far was, that every country of relevance is not taking the steps that would truly hurt them as well. If my impression of that is correct, that it would be unfair to call out a single country for it.
What about humanitarian support? DE donations are well below several smaller economies and roughly what the US gives in a week.
Fair point to an extend. It should be acknowledged that a lot of these smaller countries you are talking about are probably former soviet union countries closer to russia that ofc gonna care more, not just out of their good heart, but also out of national interests, same goes for the US. And a bunch of these smaller countries punch well above their weight when it comes to aid when compared to pretty much anyone...
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
Way too early to tell, the real indicator for that is what is gonna happen to nordstream2 once the war is over. Until then this could simply be that maybe we care less about this since only our eastern half has some soviet union ptsd, and they got off pretty mildly comparatively to other former soviet states. Tbh I don't have much hopes for nordstream2 actually getting cancelled for good, but I am happy to wait with my judgement until then.
Definitely overdramatic though... its not like russia is the country that is allowed to pull shit like this while everyone is still happy to do business with them and tries not to upset them. Either this rule-based world order never existed, or its just a hickup that is happening closer to home this time.
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Finnish Navy to train with NATO ships in Archipelago Sea.
The Standing Nato Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (abbreviated as SNMCMG1) — an immediate reaction force consisting of six vessels — will train with the Finnish navy in the Archipelago Sea on Thursday and Friday.
The joint exercise will be led by Finland's Coastal Fleet.
SNMCMG1 will also visit the port city of Turku from Monday until Wednesday.
The Coastal Fleet's Chief of Staff, Commander Mikko Villikari, said this is a routine exercise which has been planned one year in advance.
"The main goal of the exercise is to search for and identify underwater objects," Villikari said, adding that international exercises are important for the Finnish navy.
"In these exercises, we learn to work as part of a group that we do not constantly interacted with. It helps to maintain international expertise," Villikari noted.
Three ships from the SNMCMG1 group will arrive into Turku on Monday: the flagship LVNS Virsaitis from Latvia, EML Sakala from Estonia and HNLMS Schiedam from the Netherlands.
The vessels will not be open to the public.
Source
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On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Germany was fine with selling armored vehicles and missiles to Russia up until last week. With the pacifist movement turning a blind eye because Russia can do no wrong in their eyes.
It's not about heavy weapons or not, it's that Germany and especially its politicians lied about the situation for egoistic reasons, including personal wealth in the case of Schroeder.
And let me play the world's smallest violin for your pharmaceutical companies being hurt if we stop literal genocide, you know, the thing Germany promised could Never Again happen.
But, fine, don't do any of the scary things. How about you seize oligarch Yachts or something? Oh, wait, Germany is at 300k seized versus billions and tens of billions elsewhere.
What about humanitarian support? DE donations are well below several smaller economies and roughly what the US gives in a week.
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
So where are your oil and gas coming from?
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Zurich15313 Posts
On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass.
Germany is one of the biggest suppliers of aid to Ukraine, both military and financial.
The German public is making their support for Ukraine heard loudly all over Germany.
NS2 is dead. This was clear from before the war started, and Germany and her allies were and are fully aligned on this.
Germany is ridding itself from the dependence of Russian imports. This will take time, but it is happening, and won't be reversed. Germany will stop imports of crude by the end of the year.
With gas, Germany no doubt made a big mistake relying on Russian gas to the extend it does today. But: Everyone in Germany admits that this was a mistake, and Germany is undoing it. Clearly more should be done faster, but the plan to rely on Russian imports is over and done. This is also not going to be reversed.
(Sidenote: I find it curious that Germany is continuously lambasted for imports from Russia, while the UK gets streets named after them while their imports from Russia exceed Germany's)
German companies from small to large have stopped operations in Russia, whether sanctioned or not. As an example, Germany's and Europe's largest software company SAP has stopped all operations, not just new business, in Russia. And in this is going much further than her peers like Microsoft, Oracle, etc from the US. And these exits are permanent, with facilities shut down and staff relocated out of country.
Germany has opened her doors for Ukrainian refugees and has taken in more refugees than any country not neighboring Ukraine.
In the German political landscape, all mainstream parties unconditionally support Ukraine, but one: The SPD, the party of Schroeder, Steinmeier, Gabriel, and now, with unfortunate timing, our current chancellor Scholz. And this really is the biggest problem right now. That months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a politician of the most Russia friendly party was elected chancellor. And from everyone involved, including from the government, we hear that the problem truly lies within the chancellery. Practically the entire government, a majority of the parliament, the civil society, and the public are in favor of more help to Ukraine, and further cutting ties with Russia. Yet our chancellor, and a few big men of his party, are the ones hesitating.
At least, the pressure is strong enough that him and his party simply have to give in eventually. Last week, they agreed to replace heavy weapons delivered by allies to Ukraine. Today, they green lit delivery of German army anti aircraft guns. As the pressure mounts, expect more to come, including tanks and artillery, as well as further financial support.
Germany wants to help Ukraine, at the cost of spoiling it's relationship with the genocidal dictator of Russia. It will build back dependencies, and strengthen European security, world food supply, and hope for a rule based world order.
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On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:
NS2 is dead. This was clear from before the war started, and Germany and her allies were and are fully aligned on this.
I would be cautious on this one, so far the project is just on halt/suspended, but not cancelled, and I remain suspicious in regards to it. I think it is too early to tell and we have to wait until the costs and logistics of getting gas from elsewhere are more clear.
If ukraine had been a quick and done deal like crimea, I would not feel confident in nordstream2 getting cancelled or even suspended for a long time, which is why I preach caution in this matter, it is something we have to keep an eye on.
In my opinion, the chances of nordstream2 getting cancelled for good increase the longer russias war against ukraine goes on.
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On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
+ Show Spoiler +Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass. Germany is one of the biggest suppliers of aid to Ukraine, both military and financial. The German public is making their support for Ukraine heard loudly all over Germany. NS2 is dead. This was clear from before the war started, and Germany and her allies were and are fully aligned on this. Germany is ridding itself from the dependence of Russian imports. This will take time, but it is happening, and won't be reversed. Germany will stop imports of crude by the end of the year. With gas, Germany no doubt made a big mistake relying on Russian gas to the extend it does today. But: Everyone in Germany admits that this was a mistake, and Germany is undoing it. Clearly more should be done faster, but the plan to rely on Russian imports is over and done. This is also not going to be reversed. ( Sidenote: I find it curious that Germany is continuously lambasted for imports from Russia, while the UK gets streets named after them while their imports from Russia exceed Germany's) + Show Spoiler +German companies from small to large have stopped operations in Russia, whether sanctioned or not. As an example, Germany's and Europe's largest software company SAP has stopped all operations, not just new business, in Russia. And in this is going much further than her peers like Microsoft, Oracle, etc from the US. And these exits are permanent, with facilities shut down and staff relocated out of country. Germany has opened her doors for Ukrainian refugees and has taken in more refugees than any country not neighboring Ukraine. In the German political landscape, all mainstream parties unconditionally support Ukraine, but one: The SPD, the party of Schroeder, Steinmeier, Gabriel, and now, with unfortunate timing, our current chancellor Scholz. And this really is the biggest problem right now. That months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a politician of the most Russia friendly party was elected chancellor. And from everyone involved, including from the government, we hear that the problem truly lies within the chancellery. Practically the entire government, a majority of the parliament, the civil society, and the public are in favor of more help to Ukraine, and further cutting ties with Russia. Yet our chancellor, and a few big men of his party, are the ones hesitating. At least, the pressure is strong enough that him and his party simply have to give in eventually. Last week, they agreed to replace heavy weapons delivered by allies to Ukraine. Today, they green lit delivery of German army anti aircraft guns. As the pressure mounts, expect more to come, including tanks and artillery, as well as further financial support. Germany wants to help Ukraine, at the cost of spoiling it's relationship with the genocidal dictator of Russia. It will build back dependencies, and strengthen European security, world food supply, and hope for a rule based world order.
I think this bit is just because of how little we expect from the UK and how little influence it now has. Germany is under much more scrutiny because whether they admit it or not, they drive EU policy. Germany dragging its heels is translates also into lesser EU response, UK's cosy relationships with Russian money are only their own shame at this point.
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On April 26 2022 16:22 Broetchenholer wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Germany was fine with selling armored vehicles and missiles to Russia up until last week. With the pacifist movement turning a blind eye because Russia can do no wrong in their eyes.
It's not about heavy weapons or not, it's that Germany and especially its politicians lied about the situation for egoistic reasons, including personal wealth in the case of Schroeder.
And let me play the world's smallest violin for your pharmaceutical companies being hurt if we stop literal genocide, you know, the thing Germany promised could Never Again happen.
But, fine, don't do any of the scary things. How about you seize oligarch Yachts or something? Oh, wait, Germany is at 300k seized versus billions and tens of billions elsewhere.
What about humanitarian support? DE donations are well below several smaller economies and roughly what the US gives in a week.
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
So where are your oil and gas coming from?
Funny you would ask.
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On April 26 2022 18:30 Oukka wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
+ Show Spoiler +Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass. Germany is one of the biggest suppliers of aid to Ukraine, both military and financial. The German public is making their support for Ukraine heard loudly all over Germany. NS2 is dead. This was clear from before the war started, and Germany and her allies were and are fully aligned on this. Germany is ridding itself from the dependence of Russian imports. This will take time, but it is happening, and won't be reversed. Germany will stop imports of crude by the end of the year. With gas, Germany no doubt made a big mistake relying on Russian gas to the extend it does today. But: Everyone in Germany admits that this was a mistake, and Germany is undoing it. Clearly more should be done faster, but the plan to rely on Russian imports is over and done. This is also not going to be reversed. ( Sidenote: I find it curious that Germany is continuously lambasted for imports from Russia, while the UK gets streets named after them while their imports from Russia exceed Germany's) + Show Spoiler +German companies from small to large have stopped operations in Russia, whether sanctioned or not. As an example, Germany's and Europe's largest software company SAP has stopped all operations, not just new business, in Russia. And in this is going much further than her peers like Microsoft, Oracle, etc from the US. And these exits are permanent, with facilities shut down and staff relocated out of country. Germany has opened her doors for Ukrainian refugees and has taken in more refugees than any country not neighboring Ukraine. In the German political landscape, all mainstream parties unconditionally support Ukraine, but one: The SPD, the party of Schroeder, Steinmeier, Gabriel, and now, with unfortunate timing, our current chancellor Scholz. And this really is the biggest problem right now. That months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a politician of the most Russia friendly party was elected chancellor. And from everyone involved, including from the government, we hear that the problem truly lies within the chancellery. Practically the entire government, a majority of the parliament, the civil society, and the public are in favor of more help to Ukraine, and further cutting ties with Russia. Yet our chancellor, and a few big men of his party, are the ones hesitating. At least, the pressure is strong enough that him and his party simply have to give in eventually. Last week, they agreed to replace heavy weapons delivered by allies to Ukraine. Today, they green lit delivery of German army anti aircraft guns. As the pressure mounts, expect more to come, including tanks and artillery, as well as further financial support. Germany wants to help Ukraine, at the cost of spoiling it's relationship with the genocidal dictator of Russia. It will build back dependencies, and strengthen European security, world food supply, and hope for a rule based world order. I think this bit is just because of how little we expect from the UK and how little influence it now has. Germany is under much more scrutiny because whether they admit it or not, they drive EU policy. Germany dragging its heels is translates also into lesser EU response, UK's cosy relationships with Russian money are only their own shame at this point.
It's also because the Russian state relies for almost half of their revenue on energy exports and most of the trade between Germany and Russia is for energy. Most other trade links aren't nearly as important. It's also why I think the critique on German energy policy is justified in this case although I agree that it often goes too far and they're not alone. The Netherlands for example is a big oil importer from Russia as well and we were increasing our gas imports from Russia before the war while they killed an airplane full of our citizens.
For anyone interested I've found a good article on Dutch help for Ukraine. I had not realised myself that the aid we've given is pretty significant and it shows that even smaller countries can help and make a difference. For the whole article you can use the link below.
The Netherlands was one of the first European countries to pledge significant military aid to Ukraine before Russia launched its invasion of the country on the 24th of February. This aid consisted of two Thales Squire ground surveillance radars, five AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder weapon-locating radars, two SeaFox autonomous underwater vehicles for mine detection, 100 (anti-materiel) sniper rifles along with 30,000 rounds of ammunition, and 3000 helmets and 2000 flak jackets. [1] After the invasion had commenced, an additional aid package that included 50 Stinger MANPADS launchers with 200 missiles and 50 Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank weapons along with 400 rockets was quickly announced. [2] Not much later, the Dutch Minister of Defence announced it would no longer provide details on arms deliveries to Ukraine to safeguard operational security. [3]
Nonetheless, it is certain that the flow of military aid to Ukraine continued unimpeded, with the Dutch Ministry of Defence reporting that it had delivered more than 50 million euros worth of weapons to Ukraine by the 31st of March. [4] That amount was to further increase as the Netherlands continues sending military aid, the Dutch Minister for Defence Kajsa Ollongren stated, indicating more weapons deliveries were already in the pipeline. [4] As a welcome change in the Netherlands, the Minister also made clear that money was not a major consideration when it comes to providing Ukraine with the armament it requires to hold off Russian forces. [4]
On the 19th of April, it was announced by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte that the Netherlands would commence delivering heavy weaponry, including armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), to Ukraine as well. [5] This pledge came after a call between Prime Minister Rutte and President Zelensky, who has urged European countries to provide his nation with additional heavy weaponry on more than one occasion. While the United States and several Central European countries have duly answered this call, nations like Spain, Italy and Germany have largely ignored Ukraine's plight, with Germany even managing to turn the issue into a foreign policy debacle as pressure on its government mounts.
www.oryxspioenkop.com
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On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass.
I cannot respond with such language.
There are people in Germany who now want to do more, but as the people I responded to making bad excuses demonstrate, it's not as clear as you make it out. And as my German friends are mostly academics and diplomats, I know how much resistance there is at the higher levels. SPD is the worst, but they also lead the coalition... With plenty of institutionalized support.
What I'm saying isn't really my own view but the widely accepted view in allied diplomatic circles. With the exception of FR in NATO (old habits die hard), DE has been blocking most initiative requests by UA, often fully isolated. Then they've lied about it, and threatened with nuclear war (ludicrously, like when they said heavy weapons lead to nuclear responses after CZ, Poland and US has already sent heavy weapons - which DE was informed on. They chose to lie about it as policy.)
Fortunately, Scholz seems to finally respond to internal and external pressure, so every rational person should continue to bash Germany (as long as we keep to facts).
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Zurich15313 Posts
On April 26 2022 19:22 Ghanburighan wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass. Fortunately, Scholz seems to finally respond to internal and external pressure, so every rational person should continue to bash Germany ( as long as we keep to facts).
That would be great. You however seem to be stuck in some anti German filter bubble. And as long as you keep posting outright fake news about Germany here I will continue to call you out on it.
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On April 26 2022 19:09 Ghanburighan wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 16:22 Broetchenholer wrote:On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Germany was fine with selling armored vehicles and missiles to Russia up until last week. With the pacifist movement turning a blind eye because Russia can do no wrong in their eyes.
It's not about heavy weapons or not, it's that Germany and especially its politicians lied about the situation for egoistic reasons, including personal wealth in the case of Schroeder.
And let me play the world's smallest violin for your pharmaceutical companies being hurt if we stop literal genocide, you know, the thing Germany promised could Never Again happen.
But, fine, don't do any of the scary things. How about you seize oligarch Yachts or something? Oh, wait, Germany is at 300k seized versus billions and tens of billions elsewhere.
What about humanitarian support? DE donations are well below several smaller economies and roughly what the US gives in a week.
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
So where are your oil and gas coming from? Funny you would ask.
The Estonian government has decided, in principle, to cease all imports of Russian gas before the end of the year.
Oh, and I thought you were always in favor of stopping right now... And now it came down to "we are looking to phase it out, and looking how fast we can do it, and then we hope for the moral compass of importers and in principle will exit at some point". Which country hasn't made such a revolutionary statement yet?
Funny indeed.
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On April 26 2022 19:31 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 19:22 Ghanburighan wrote:On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass. Fortunately, Scholz seems to finally respond to internal and external pressure, so every rational person should continue to bash Germany ( as long as we keep to facts). That would be great. You however seem to be stuck in some anti German filter bubble. And as long as you keep posting outright fake news about Germany here I will continue to call you out on it.
Prove the fake news. That guy organizes support in UA.
And my anti German filter bubble is German high ranking diplomats...
BTW, German heavy weapon shipments were announced today. DE pays, a DE company builds and ships to UA. Time-frame unknown. The Gepard system is great, though. Anti air and also anti ground. With radar support, does exactly what UA wants.
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"I am legit, my friend is a diplomat." Look dude, i have said it before, your posts are showing a tendency of nationalist butthurt that is super strange coming from someone calling others racist for having different opinions while bringing up your grandmothers experience with russian soldiers to explain how russian soldiers act now. You wouldn't get half as much critique from us if you yourself wouldn't try as hard as possible to start some divide that only exists in your own head.
Also, so your country imported gas and oil from Russia after they annexed Crimea despite you claiming that if "the west" had just listened to you (you specifically and your diplomat friend) about russia, Germany should have stopped relying on russian exports 20 years ago? You have got to be kidding me.
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On April 26 2022 20:21 Ghanburighan wrote:Prove the fake news. That guy organizes support in UA. And my anti German filter bubble is German high ranking diplomats... BTW, German heavy weapon shipments were announced today. DE pays, a DE company builds and ships to UA. Time-frame unknown. The Gepard system is great, though. Anti air and also anti ground. With radar support, does exactly what UA wants. https://twitter.com/MDRAktuell/status/1518908598436483072
So you believe anything on twitter until it gets disproven? Rarther unique take on fake news since most people work the other way around
The Gepards were always there but without ammunition (which they found somewhere in Brazil apparently). They don't have to be build. They belong to Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (defense contractor)
Source in Germanwww.tagesschau.de
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Germany to send anti-aircraft Tanks to Ukraine. Makes me wonder if in Germany can Governments fall? Like they do in Italy, the UK? Because even German parliament are saying the country is becoming increasingly isolated on the world stage as well as Diplomatically.
The German government is expected to use the occasion of a high-level defence meeting on supporting Ukraine to announce that it will send a fleet of anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, as it attempts to offset criticism that it has been too slow to provide military equipment to the war-torn country.
Christine Lambrecht, the defence minister, is due to pledge about 50 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, in a speech to the representatives of 40 countries at the talks hosted by the US air force at its Europe headquarters in Ramstein, south-west Germany.
In her speech, which was leaked to German media and reported widely on Tuesday morning, Lambrecht is expected to announce a range of other measures, including participation in training Ukrainian soldiers in the use of the armoured Howitzer 2000, a long-range weapon, which the Netherlands has said it will deliver to Ukraine.
In what is being referred to in German media as an “about-turn”, Germany is seeking to defend itself from harsh criticism from the US and Europe, especially from Ukraine’s government, that it has been far too hesitant to deliver heavy weapons, based, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said, on its fears of widening the conflict. On Friday, Scholz said he was wary of sparking world war three, and of provoking Russia into using nuclear weapons if Germany made the wrong choices.
On Tuesday, the leader of the opposition conservative alliance, Friedrich Merz, accused Scholz of being “irresponsible”, arguing that not delivering the weapons would render Germany’s deterrence policies null and void, particularly in the Baltic region.
In an interview at the weekend, Merz said: “Criticism abroad is growing and Germany is increasingly isolated”.
In February, Scholz announced a €100bn (£84bn) package of measures to boost the German military in what he referred to as a Zeitenwende or new era in German foreign policy. However, a growing number of critics have accused him of failing to deliver on his promise and have argued that only when Germany plays a more active role in arming Ukraine will it be taken seriously and not viewed as being too timid towards Russia.
Other aspects of Germany’s involvement in the conflict, such as the fact it has so far officially received just under 400,000 Ukrainian refugees over the past two months, according to German police, have not been widely acknowledged. The unofficial figure is thought to be considerably higher as the newcomers are not obliged to register immediately.
At the meeting, Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, is expected to be joined by almost all his counterparts in the EU and the UK, as well as the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, and the head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg. Beforehand, the US government made plain its expectation that European countries would provide more weaponry. Washington has already pledged $3.2bn-worth of equipment.
The delivery of the Gepard systems has been under discussion for weeks in Germany. The Munich-based armoured vehicle manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) announced its readiness weeks ago to revamp the Gepards. They were previously in the possession of the German army for whom KMW designed them in the 1970s. They would, after a short period for overhaul, be ready to be delivered to Ukraine via rail.
The systems had been destined for Brazil and Qatar, where they were to be used as part of security measures for the Summer Olympics and the Football World Cup respectively, according to the magazine Spiegel.
The government decision appears to have also been an attempt to pre-empt a motion expected to be put to the parliament this week, backed by the conservative opposition, together with the Greens and the pro-business FDP both of whom are in a three-way coalition with Scholz’s Social Democrats, (SPD), which would call on the government to finally deliver heavy weaponry, including both combat and armoured personnel carriers, as well as artillery, directly to Ukraine.
Source
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On April 26 2022 23:12 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:On Tuesday, the leader of the opposition conservative alliance, Friedrich Merz, accused Scholz of being “irresponsible”, arguing that not delivering the weapons would render Germany’s deterrence policies null and void, particularly in the Baltic region. In an interview at the weekend, Merz said: “Criticism abroad is growing and Germany is increasingly isolated”. Source
It is important to note that Merz is from the CDU, which is the opposition. The guy himself i the oppositon leader, so you gotta take what he says with a grain of salt. The job of the opposition has always been to amplify flaws and criticism of the goverment.
While it is true that there is a lot of criticism of germany, I doubt that people in charge actually believe that german support for a country it has no treaties with is any indication for things like the security in the baltics, states we do have treaties with due to being in Nato and in the EU...
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On April 26 2022 19:16 RvB wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2022 18:30 Oukka wrote:On April 26 2022 17:10 zatic wrote:On April 26 2022 06:48 Ghanburighan wrote:
Let's face it, Germany doesn't want to help Ukraine, or spoil its relationship with the genocidal dictator in Russia. It will continue to build a one-sided dependency, instead of any meaningful economic integration, thus undermining European security, world food supply and any hope for a rule-based world order.
+ Show Spoiler +Let's face it, you are talking out of your ass. Germany is one of the biggest suppliers of aid to Ukraine, both military and financial. The German public is making their support for Ukraine heard loudly all over Germany. NS2 is dead. This was clear from before the war started, and Germany and her allies were and are fully aligned on this. Germany is ridding itself from the dependence of Russian imports. This will take time, but it is happening, and won't be reversed. Germany will stop imports of crude by the end of the year. With gas, Germany no doubt made a big mistake relying on Russian gas to the extend it does today. But: Everyone in Germany admits that this was a mistake, and Germany is undoing it. Clearly more should be done faster, but the plan to rely on Russian imports is over and done. This is also not going to be reversed. ( Sidenote: I find it curious that Germany is continuously lambasted for imports from Russia, while the UK gets streets named after them while their imports from Russia exceed Germany's) + Show Spoiler +German companies from small to large have stopped operations in Russia, whether sanctioned or not. As an example, Germany's and Europe's largest software company SAP has stopped all operations, not just new business, in Russia. And in this is going much further than her peers like Microsoft, Oracle, etc from the US. And these exits are permanent, with facilities shut down and staff relocated out of country. Germany has opened her doors for Ukrainian refugees and has taken in more refugees than any country not neighboring Ukraine. In the German political landscape, all mainstream parties unconditionally support Ukraine, but one: The SPD, the party of Schroeder, Steinmeier, Gabriel, and now, with unfortunate timing, our current chancellor Scholz. And this really is the biggest problem right now. That months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a politician of the most Russia friendly party was elected chancellor. And from everyone involved, including from the government, we hear that the problem truly lies within the chancellery. Practically the entire government, a majority of the parliament, the civil society, and the public are in favor of more help to Ukraine, and further cutting ties with Russia. Yet our chancellor, and a few big men of his party, are the ones hesitating. At least, the pressure is strong enough that him and his party simply have to give in eventually. Last week, they agreed to replace heavy weapons delivered by allies to Ukraine. Today, they green lit delivery of German army anti aircraft guns. As the pressure mounts, expect more to come, including tanks and artillery, as well as further financial support. Germany wants to help Ukraine, at the cost of spoiling it's relationship with the genocidal dictator of Russia. It will build back dependencies, and strengthen European security, world food supply, and hope for a rule based world order. I think this bit is just because of how little we expect from the UK and how little influence it now has. Germany is under much more scrutiny because whether they admit it or not, they drive EU policy. Germany dragging its heels is translates also into lesser EU response, UK's cosy relationships with Russian money are only their own shame at this point. It's also because the Russian state relies for almost half of their revenue on energy exports and most of the trade between Germany and Russia is for energy. Most other trade links aren't nearly as important. It's also why I think the critique on German energy policy is justified in this case although I agree that it often goes too far and they're not alone. The Netherlands for example is a big oil importer from Russia as well and we were increasing our gas imports from Russia before the war while they killed an airplane full of our citizens. For anyone interested I've found a good article on Dutch help for Ukraine. I had not realised myself that the aid we've given is pretty significant and it shows that even smaller countries can help and make a difference. For the whole article you can use the link below. Show nested quote +The Netherlands was one of the first European countries to pledge significant military aid to Ukraine before Russia launched its invasion of the country on the 24th of February. This aid consisted of two Thales Squire ground surveillance radars, five AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder weapon-locating radars, two SeaFox autonomous underwater vehicles for mine detection, 100 (anti-materiel) sniper rifles along with 30,000 rounds of ammunition, and 3000 helmets and 2000 flak jackets. [1] After the invasion had commenced, an additional aid package that included 50 Stinger MANPADS launchers with 200 missiles and 50 Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank weapons along with 400 rockets was quickly announced. [2] Not much later, the Dutch Minister of Defence announced it would no longer provide details on arms deliveries to Ukraine to safeguard operational security. [3]
Nonetheless, it is certain that the flow of military aid to Ukraine continued unimpeded, with the Dutch Ministry of Defence reporting that it had delivered more than 50 million euros worth of weapons to Ukraine by the 31st of March. [4] That amount was to further increase as the Netherlands continues sending military aid, the Dutch Minister for Defence Kajsa Ollongren stated, indicating more weapons deliveries were already in the pipeline. [4] As a welcome change in the Netherlands, the Minister also made clear that money was not a major consideration when it comes to providing Ukraine with the armament it requires to hold off Russian forces. [4]
On the 19th of April, it was announced by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte that the Netherlands would commence delivering heavy weaponry, including armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), to Ukraine as well. [5] This pledge came after a call between Prime Minister Rutte and President Zelensky, who has urged European countries to provide his nation with additional heavy weaponry on more than one occasion. While the United States and several Central European countries have duly answered this call, nations like Spain, Italy and Germany have largely ignored Ukraine's plight, with Germany even managing to turn the issue into a foreign policy debacle as pressure on its government mounts. www.oryxspioenkop.com
This is good news. It would be easy for the Netherlands to send minimal support while hiding behind Germany's back. Everyone's attention seems to be focused on what Germany does or doesn't do, so smaller wealthy countries could use that as an opportunity to play it safe and wait with any serious commitments until the situation stabilizes.
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Russia to halt Gas to Poland starting tomorrow.
Russia will halt gas flows to Poland on Wednesday in a major escalation in the fight between Moscow and Europe over crucial energy supplies.
Moscow and Europe are locked in a standoff over how gas should be paid for and the risk of a cutoff has been looming for weeks. The Kremlin has said that gas must be bought in rubles but the European Union considers that would breach sanctions -- and also strengthen Putin’s hand unacceptably. Poland has been particularly vociferous in its resistance.
Poland’s main gas supplier PGNiG said it has been informed that all flows will stop from Wednesday. Minutes earlier, Russian gas giant Gazprom issued a warning that Poland must pay up for its gas supplies on Tuesday -- in the Russian currency.
European gas prices surged as much as 17%, amid concern that other countries could be next.
The Polish government said earlier it has enough gas in storage. The Climate Ministry will hold a briefing later Tuesday.
Gazprom had no immediate comment.
Source
While at the same time Poland will be supplying Germany with Oil.
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Putin is meeting with the UN Secretary-General at the moment and said he's only going to make a deal with Ukraine if he gets Crimea and the Donbas region. That is absolutely not going to happen. At this point, what's even the purpose? It's all just theater.
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EPT
