It doesn’t look like the war in Ukraine will end anytime soon. Nevertheless, Chancellor Scholz is already thinking about the time afterwards. He calls for a reconstruction program.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a “Marshall Plan” for the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine. During his visit to Kyiv last week, some things reminded him of the images of German cities after the Second World War, said the SPD politician.
In a government statement in the Bundestag, he said: “And like war-torn Europe, Ukraine needs a Marshall Plan for reconstruction today.” In the debate, opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) warned of the danger of genocide in Ukraine given Russia’s brutal warfare.
Between 1948 and 1952, the USA helped Germany and other European countries with their Marshall Plan to get back on their feet after six years of war. Many billions of US dollars have been invested in reconstruction.
Reconstruction “with combined forces.”
In his speech at the EU, G7 and NATO summits in the next eight days, Scholz also promised Ukraine further arms deliveries. He promised continued support for the NATO states in the eastern alliance area to protect them from Russia. “We will defend every square meter of Alliance territory,” he assured them.
In preparation for the summit marathon, Scholz got an idea of the situation in Ukraine last week and visited the partially destroyed Kiev suburb of Irpin, among other things. “The extent of the destruction is enormous,” he said in the Bundestag. Since the beginning of the war, the European Union has already mobilized billions in funds, and Germany is one of the frontrunners. “But we will need many more billions of euros and dollars for reconstruction – and that for years to come. This is only possible with combined forces.”
Union faction leader Merz emphasized that the federal government and the Bundestag must fulfill the responsibility to protect Ukraine. The Chancellor’s visit to Kyiv together with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi was an “important sign of European solidarity with this country and its people, who are still being abused”. Merz expressed concern that Russia was now apparently in the process of escalating tensions with Lithuania. “This shows that we are correct in our assessment that Putin must be stopped in Ukraine. If that doesn’t work, he keeps going.”
Scholz: Support Ukraine for as long as necessary
Left faction leader Dietmar Bartsch rejected Ukraine’s entry into the EU any time soon. “Once you are in the EU, you can no longer be excluded, and we all know that the EU already has very problematic members.” The following applies to Ukraine: “Support yes, hope yes – but do not arouse false hope.” AfD party and parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla criticized that the promise of accession to Ukraine gave the local population the illusion of security that could never be kept.
Green party leader Katharina Dröge, on the other hand, emphasized that a “clear European accession perspective” is particularly important to Ukraine. “And that’s why it’s so fundamentally important when the European Council sends the signal that Ukraine and Moldova will also be given candidate status.” FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr emphasized that the common European internal market was the best way for the subsequent reconstruction of Ukraine.
Scholz assured that Europe stands united on the side of the Ukrainian people. “We will continue to support Ukraine massively – financially, economically, humanitarianly, politically and not least with the delivery of weapons,” he said, adding: “For as long as Ukraine needs our support.”
No more partnership with Russia for the time being
Scholz expects a signal of cohesion and determination from the NATO summit in Madrid. “A partnership with Russia, as stated in the Strategic Concept of 2010, is unimaginable for the foreseeable future with Putin’s aggressive, imperialist Russia,” he emphasized. At the same time, he warned: “It would be unwise for us to terminate the NATO-Russia Founding Act.” That would only play into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his propaganda.
In the Founding Act of 1997, NATO also undertook to refrain from permanently stationing “substantial combat troops” in the eastern alliance area. The planned long-term increase in NATO’s presence on the eastern flank could further increase tensions with Russia. At the NATO summit in Madrid, the alliance partners also want to discuss a new strategic concept.
Source: Stern
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