Conflict in Ukraine - Wagenknecht calls for Scholz to clarify shift in arms stance.
The chairwoman of the BSW, Sahra Wagenknecht, is urging Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to provide a government statement on the shift in strategy regarding the use of German weapons against military targets in Russia. She stresses that he should explain to the public why it's acceptable for Ukraine to launch attacks against Russian territory using German weapons, even though he'd been cautioning about potential war risks for Germany for months.
Wagenknecht continued, "German weapons being used against targets in Russia causes significant concern among residents in Saxony." Sabine Zimmermann, the regional chairwoman of the BSW in Saxony, expressed her concern to the German Press Agency in Dresden. She added that she and her allies strongly oppose this escalation spiral that has been created by this policy change.
During the European election campaign, the SPD had called for peace and promised to act responsibly. However, Scholz deviated drastically from these principles by permitting the use of German weapons in Russia. Zimmermann stated that the Alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht had been forewarning about this shift for a while now. Their election program for Saxony clearly states that "a lasting peace architecture for Europe can only be built if the security interests of all sides are respected."
On Friday, Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesperson for the government, revealed that Chancellor Scholz had okayed the use of Ukrainian military forces to attack Russian targets with German weapons. The decision was made in the context of the latest Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian area of Kharkiv. The United States had also authorized Ukraine to use American weapons against Russian targets under limited circumstances. Both countries justified this decision as an appropriate response to Russia's offensive in Kharkiv.
