Posted by 
BERLIN — Germany’s Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the Free Democratic Party’s top candidate for the upcoming EU election, has urged France to hasten weapons deliveries to Ukraine as it struggles to repel Russia’s onslaught.
“We have the problem that, while Poland is doing a lot as a neighboring country, while Germany is doing a lot, France is doing relatively little,” Strack-Zimmermann said in an interview with POLITICO.
Ahead of a meeting of the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland on Wednesday — the “Weimar Triangle” format — Strack-Zimmermann, who is one of Germany’s most strident advocates of military aid for Ukraine, urged the ministers send more weapons, ammunition and air defense systems, and to do so quickly.
“Ukraine has no time and everything, everything, everything has to go much faster,” she said. “What I expect is that France, precisely because it is an important nation, not only — and I don’t mean this in a negative way — makes big speeches, but also follows up its words with action.”
Germany’s Kiel Institute, which compiles national contributions to Ukraine’s war effort, ranks France as a clear laggard when it comes to military aid — far behind Germany, which is second only to the United States.
While German Chancellor Olaf Scholz — wary of provoking Vladimir Putin — has been far more careful in his rhetoric when it comes to Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to do “whatever it takes” to defeat Russian forces — even refusing to rule out putting Western boots on the ground.
Strack-Zimmermann also criticized German chancellor Olaf Scholz, the leader of the three-party coalition government that includes her FDP, for not doing more on Ukraine, including for not sending German-made Taurus cruise missiles to the country. The chancellor has refused to send the missiles even as Germany’s allies have provided similar weapons to Ukraine, arguing it could draw Germany into war with Russia.
But Strack-Zimmermann said she hasn’t given up hope that Scholz will change his mind.
“If the situation changes, I also expect the chancellor’s opinion to change,” she said. “And I hope that when the situation changes, he will realize that he made a big mistake not giving the green light a year ago. So in that respect, hope dies last.”
At the same time, there is more Germany could do beyond the Taurus missiles, Strack-Zimmermann said, including by providing anti-aircraft ammunition.
She criticized Scholz for campaigning at home by depicting himself as a “peace chancellor,” saying he needed to act faster — even if Germany has already done more than other countries.
“He knows that, too,” she said. “But he doesn’t want to deal with the issue in such intensity. And he says, ‘Gosh, Germany is doing so much compared to the others. Now it’s the others’ turn.’ But we can’t afford to have this discussion. We can only do it together.”
