Germany announces major defense policy shift in face of Russia's Ukraine invasion
Germany is committing 100 billion euros ($112.7 billion) to a fund for its armed services and will ramp up its defense spending above 2% of its gross domestic product, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a special session of the Bundestag on Sunday.
It has become clear that “we need to invest significantly more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,” Scholz said.
Germany has been widely criticized for what many describe as meager investment in its military and its slow and lackluster response to Russia's military buildup around, and subsequent invasion of, Ukraine. The announcement Sunday followed the German government's decision Saturday to send weapons and other supplies directly to Ukraine.
Scholz said Saturday that Germany would be sending 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles directly to Ukraine. His government has also removed some restrictions on German-made weapons being sent to conflict zones, enabling more third-party countries to send weapons to Ukraine as well.
The move signaled a major shift in a German defense policy that's been in place since the end of World War II that prevented the exporting of locally made weapons to conflict zones.
Riho Terras, a member of the European Parliament and former defense chief for Estonia, wrote on Twitter praising Germany's decision.
“Chancellor @OlafScholz just made a super strong statement at the Bundestag. Military expenditure to more than 2% of GDP, thoroughly strengthening the Bundeswehr, building new LNG terminals to break free from Russian gas.”
Germany was among the NATO member states criticized by former President Donald Trump for failing to meet the organization's minimum commitment of 2% of GDP to defense spending. It's also been called out for its apparent reluctance to levy strong sanctions on Russia, given Germany's heavy reliance on Russian gas, which makes up about 30% of its energy supplies.
Much controversy surrounded Germany's NordStream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, a joint project costing $11 billion that would have doubled Russian gas exports to Germany, and further tying the countries in terms of economic and energy reliance and weakening Ukraine. Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine, Scholz last week announced he was halting the pipeline project.
In late January, as Russian troops along Ukraine's borders grew to what some estimated to be as many as 150,000 and NATO leaders emphasized the risks of a Russian invasion, Germany refused to provide weapons to its ally and offered to send 5,000 helmets instead.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko called the offer an “absolute joke,” saying that Ukraine needed weapons rather than protective gear.
德国总理奥拉夫·肖尔茨周日在联邦议院特别会议上表示，德国将向其武装部队基金投入 1000 亿欧元（1127 亿美元），并将其国防开支提高到其国内生产总值的 2% 以上。 很明显，“我们需要在国家安全方面投入更多，以保护我们的自由和民主，”舒尔茨说。
德国因其对其军事投资的微薄投资以及对俄罗斯在乌克兰周围的军事集结以及随后入侵乌克兰的缓慢而乏味的反应而受到广泛批评。周日宣布这一消息之前，德国政府周六决定直接向乌克兰运送武器和其他物资。
肖尔茨周六表示，德国将直接向乌克兰运送 1000 枚反坦克武器和 500 枚毒刺导弹。他的政府还取消了对将德国制造的武器运送到冲突地区的一些限制，使更多的第三方国家也可以向乌克兰运送武器。
此举标志着德国自二战结束以来一直实施的国防政策发生重大转变，该政策禁止向冲突地区出口本地制造的武器。
欧洲议会议员、爱沙尼亚前国防部长里霍特拉斯在推特上写道，赞扬德国的决定。
“@OlafScholz 总理刚刚在联邦议院发表了非常强烈的声明。军费开支超过 GDP 的 2%，彻底加强联邦国防军，建造新的液化天然气接收站以摆脱俄罗斯天然气的束缚。”
德国是前总统唐纳德特朗普批评的北约成员国之一，因为该组织未能履行该组织的国防开支占 GDP 的 2% 的最低承诺。鉴于德国严重依赖占其能源供应约 30% 的俄罗斯天然气，德国显然不愿对俄罗斯实施严厉制裁，因此也受到指责。
围绕德国从俄罗斯的 NordStream 2 天然气管道引起了很多争议，这是一个耗资 110 亿美元的联合项目，将使俄罗斯对德国的天然气出口增加一倍，并在经济和能源依赖方面进一步捆绑两国并削弱乌克兰。在俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京决定向乌克兰派遣军队后，肖尔茨上周宣布他将停止管道项目。
1 月下旬，随着俄罗斯军队在乌克兰边境增至 150,000 人，而北约领导人强调俄罗斯入侵的风险，德国拒绝向其盟友提供武器，并提出提供 5,000 顶头盔。
基辅市长维塔利克里琴科称这一提议是一个“绝对的笑话”，称乌克兰需要武器而不是防护装备。
