Member of the Bundestag, and expert on defence and foreign policy of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Roderich Kiesewetter, in an interview with DW, stated the need to do everything so that Ukraine could strike targets on Russian territory. But he warned against letting Germany become directly involved in the war. A German politician from the largest opposition faction in the German parliament said this on Thursday, February 8, in Kyiv, where he was. On the same day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the United States for a visit.
DW: You are now in Ukraine. What did you see? How do you feel about Ukraine these days?
Roderich Kiesewetter: I met or met again with very interested interlocutors in the Ministry of Defense, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Parliament, as well as in humanitarian organizations helping people at the front and veterans. Overall, I see that the population continues to fight, including yesterday when several people died and many were injured in Kyiv, and understand what is at stake if Ukraine’s freedom is lost.
— In this context, financial support is important for Ukraine. But the day before, a bill on a new package of American aid to Ukraine failed in the US Senate. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for his part, is having trouble pushing other EU countries to do more for Ukraine. Germany is the largest arms supplier to Ukraine in the EU. Will Germany be able to replace the United States as the main supplier of military and financial assistance to Ukraine?
– This is not a question of opportunity, it is a question of political will. In 2022, Germany spent 200 billion euros on its national interests to reduce the effects of inflation and rising energy prices. We are able to release large amounts of money in a short time. This would be possible for Ukraine as well. However, what is much more important is that the actions of Trump, who has not even been elected yet (president – Ed. ), should become a wake-up call for all of Europe. We cannot make ourselves dependent on the imaginary dictator that Trump likes to portray, on the tool of Putin that Trump is. It is good that Chancellor Scholz will point this out to the Americans. It is important that the German Chancellor, together with Macron, the British Prime Minister Sunak, Tusk from Poland, Meloni from Italy and others, give a signal to the Americans and say that we share the burden, we take on more responsibility for Ukraine. But we expect Americans to continue to view themselves as a pro-European power.
And one more thought. If Ukraine fails, it will be terrible. Millions of Ukrainians will leave their country and threaten the cohesion of European states. It will also show that the West is unable to stop a dictator like Putin, who mindlessly sacrifices hundreds of thousands of his soldiers in terrible bloodshed, and that we are unable to resist Putin, the evil of everything that is happening – Putin and his criminal war of aggression.
That is why Russia needs to show that this can no longer continue. Russia must recognize the right of its neighbours to exist. The war must be transferred to Russia. Russian military installations and headquarters must be destroyed. We must do everything possible so that Ukraine can destroy not only oil refineries in Russia but also ministries, command posts and firing points.
It is time for the Russian people to realize that they have a dictator who is sacrificing the future of Russia, sacrificing the future of Russian youth and ethnic minorities, that this is a country that, in essence, is bringing war to the world, instead of becoming a force for peace.
— Let’s imagine the worst-case scenario for Ukraine if the United States stops assisting it, what consequences could this have for the country?
— Firstly, the European defence industry is very strong. 60 percent of what it produces is exported outside Europe. And now we need to reconsider our priorities and, first of all, supply to Ukraine.
Secondly, Germany should no longer hold pan-European tenders for the defence industry, but do it as suggested by the deal between Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (with Ukraine – Ed. ) directly through national procurement. In addition, Germany must provide financial guarantees and guarantees.
Much would be possible if there was political will. For now, this depends not on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not on the Ministry of Defense, but on the will of the Minister of Finance and the Federal Chancellor’s office.
It is difficult to imagine if all this fails, because then the German world order and the European Union will sink into oblivion, and we will become a participant in the war. This is exactly what Russia wants. She wants to drag us into war, and we are preventing that by redirecting our defence production and supplying it to Ukraine to make sure that Ukraine can continue to protect our peace and defend our freedom.
For this, Ukraine deserves membership in the EU and then NATO. This is also part of the support for Ukraine as it prepares to join the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, as is the relocation of the defence industry to Ukraine so that production can take place locally.
— How can we ensure the safety of this industry in Ukraine, given the terrible missile attacks?
— First, Russia is deliberately attacking residential buildings, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, churches and cultural institutions to destroy the existence of the Ukrainian people and their grandiose history. Second, Russia is destroying electricity and water supplies to threaten the survival of the population. We must repeat this over and over again: Russia wants to destroy Ukraine’s right to exist, and therefore Ukraine deserves any support, especially when it is under fire. This means that we must supply more air defense systems because Ukraine has already learned to intelligently protect its industry with appropriate air defense systems.
The solution is not to speculate about what will happen if things go wrong but to do more to show Russia its borders so that the Russian people can see what terrible crimes are being committed in their name.
— What signal does the delay of American aid to Ukraine send to Moscow, and how will Putin perceive it?
– This, of course, is beneficial to Putin. On the campaign trail, he could say he has a friend in Trump and use that to undermine Western cohesion. It is therefore very important that Scholz in the US makes it clear what is at stake, and that the members of the Bundestag, who have very good connections with the Republican and Democratic members, also make it clear to them that they are hostage to Trump, hostages in essence from a criminal – after all, Trump is recognized as a criminal in American courts – and that Americans need to do everything possible to ensure that they are not controlled by a criminal.
Putin is known as a criminal, he is officially declared a war criminal in more than 100 countries, but we must prevent a leading Western power from electing a criminal as their leader. This needs to be discussed openly, as it will cause enormous damage to the reputation and credibility of the United States. So we must have more influence on the American population by showing what’s at stake. But it is much more important that European states now join forces and resolve the most important issues first. The most important thing is to increase defense production for Ukraine and give it a place in the European Union and, as soon as security conditions allow, in NATO.
— What do you expect from the German Chancellor’s visit to the United States?
“I expect that he will shake up the Senate and House of Representatives and that he, since he never makes decisions himself, will finally get the green light to deliver TAURUS cruise missiles .” I am waiting for Scholz to come back and say that the Americans have agreed to supply TAURUS, since I myself did not dare to do so.
Katya Teize
DW
