German lawmakers have agreed to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons in its war against Russian invaders, the latest move in Berlin’s historic reversal of the nation’s decades-old policy of never sending armaments to active war zones.
The vote in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, approved the aid package Thursday with 586 votes in favor, 100 against, and seven abstentions, according to DW News, the German state-owned broadcaster.
The government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which received criticism from Ukraine for failing to move more quickly to supply weapons after announcing the policy about-face last month, will send anti-aircraft systems and armored vehicles to Ukraine, along with additional soldiers to reinforce NATO’s positions in eastern Europe.
The measure includes provisions that would mean shipping heavy armaments to NATO allies. The proposal was backed by Mr. Scholz’s ruling coalition along with the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU,) the country’s largest opposition party.
Both the far-left and far-right political parties in Germany have denounced the measure, saying it could help trigger a nuclear war between NATO superpowers.
In response, Nils Schmid, parliamentary foreign policy spokesman for Mr. Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, said delivering the weapons could help end the war by putting Ukraine in a position of strength.
“We support Ukraine with everything we have at our disposal — politically, diplomatically, economically and, of course, in a very measured way — militarily,” Mr. Schmid told DW News.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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