Unimportant Debate

Published in Frankfurter Rundschau
(Germany) on 28 April 2024
by Andreas Schwarzkopf (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Mallory Matsumoto. Edited by Laurence Bouvard.
More important than Chancellor Scholz’s unsurprising, repeated “no” on the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is the question of whether the approved U.S. weapons will arrive at the Ukrainian front in time.

It was clear that the announcement of a U.S. delivery of Army Tactical Missile System missiles to Ukraine would be followed by a demand that Germany send the invaded country Taurus cruise missiles; just as obvious was that Chancellor Olaf Scholz would say no. And no matter how unconvincing his arguments may be, it’s not important to reignite that debate.

For one, Ukraine can use the U.S. missiles to attack Russian supply lines as it has wanted to do and does not necessarily need more ammunition of the same sort right now. Instead, the more decisive point is whether the approved U.S. weapons arrive at the Ukrainian front in time to stabilize the situation there. Only then can the Ukrainians fend off the spring offensive that Vladimir Putin’s army is expected to launch. Even so, Kyiv is still far from launching its own offensive, as it did about a year ago.

In addition, there is little hope that this bloody war of attrition will end anytime soon. Thanks to Chinese support, Putin’s regime wrongly believes itself to be on the road to victory and is counting on Donald Trump being reelected as U.S. president in November. At present, no one is expecting a breakthrough to come at the peace conference scheduled to take place in Switzerland, either.


Unwichtige Debatte
Wichtiger als das erwartbare erneute Nein von Kanzler Scholz zur Taurus-Lieferung an die Ukraine ist, ob die bewilligten US-Waffen rechtzeitig an die ukrainische Front gelangen.

So klar, wie nach der angekündigten US-Lieferung von Atacams-Raketen an die Ukraine die Forderung folgte, Deutschland möge dem überfallenen Land Taurus-Marschflugkörper schicken, so sicher war das Nein dazu von Kanzler Olaf Scholz. Und so wenig man dessen Argumente dafür überzeugend finden mag, so unwichtig ist es, diese Debatte erneut zu führen.
Zum einen kann die Ukraine mit den US-Projektilen wie gewünscht die russischen Nachschublinien angreifen und benötigt derzeit nicht zwingend weitere Geschosse dieser Art. Andererseits ist entscheidender, ob die bewilligten US-Waffen noch rechtzeitig an die ukrainische Front kommen, um diese zu stabilisieren. Nur dann können die Ukrainerinnen und Ukrainer auch der erwarteten Frühjahrsoffensive von Putins Armee standhalten. Von einer eigenen Offensive wie vor etwa einem Jahr ist Kiew allerdings weit entfernt.
Wenig Hoffnung besteht zudem, dass dieser blutige Abnutzungskrieg ein baldiges Ende findet. Putins Regime wähnt sich dank chinesischer Hilfe auf der Siegerstraße und setzt darauf, dass im November Donald Trump erneut zum US-Präsidenten gewählt wird. Von der geplanten Friedenskonferenz in der Schweiz erwartet derzeit auch niemand einen Durchbruch.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Kenya: Why US-Israel War on Iran Hits the Kenyan Pocket First

Israel: Has Trump Had Enough?

Brazil: Xi’s Meetings with Trump and Putin Make China an Obligatory Stop for Diplomacy*

Kuwait: US Assessment of the War

Luxembourg: When 2 Powers Meet, Does the 3rd Suffer? Xi, Trump and What Their Meeting Means for Europe

Topics

Egypt: The Middle East after the Trump-Xi Summit

Saudi Arabia: The Meeting of the Giants…And Regional Stability

Kenya: Why US-Israel War on Iran Hits the Kenyan Pocket First

Brazil: Xi’s Meetings with Trump and Putin Make China an Obligatory Stop for Diplomacy*

Luxembourg: When 2 Powers Meet, Does the 3rd Suffer? Xi, Trump and What Their Meeting Means for Europe

Spain: Trump Powerless against Xi

Poland: Donald Trump’s U-Turn Will Finish Off NATO

Kuwait: US Assessment of the War

Related Articles

Philippines: The US Uses Allies To Surround Rivals. Poor Allies

Austria: Putin’s Phony Parade Passes without Incident Thanks to Trump

Austria: Trump Punishes Merz but Also Weakens His Own Country

South Korea: Trump’s Move To Cut Troops in Germany Must Not Affect Korean Peninsula

Poland: Polish PM Donald Tusk Questions US Loyalty in Financial Times, Targeting Both Parties