Friedrich Merz, the leader of the largest German opposition party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), said on the public broadcaster ARD over the weekend that his country should provide Ukraine with fighter jets so that Kyiv can regain control over the country’s airspace.
The radically pro-war policy could also become reality, as the CDU is well poised to win back power in national elections in October of next year.
Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz’s left-liberal government has not yet approved the delivery of several weapons systems, including the F-16 fighter aircraft.
According to Merz, the F-16s are needed to counter Russian missile attacks, which, for example, killed 41 people and wounded more than 200 others in Kyiv and other major cities on July 8. Russia is also carrying out airstrikes against Ukraine’s electricity and water networks; however, it is not sparing hospitals and other civilian targets.
Polling shows that a plurality of voters, 43 percent, are against Germany sending more weapons to Ukraine, while 39 percent are for it. Another 18 percent say they do not know. However, regarding advanced weapons like Taurus missiles, a clear majority of Germans are against the government sending these weapons, which may signal that the CDU’s pro-war stance is far from representing the mainstream stance of the German public.
According to the CDU politician, it is not enough to defend against these attacks with ground-based air defenses alone. Several EU member states are supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with Danish and Dutch aircraft already on their way to the battlefield, and “Germany cannot stay on the sidelines,” he said.
Merz had previously supported initiatives to give Ukraine long-range Taurus cruise missiles, but that was voted down by the Bundestag. Ukraine is currently receiving 79 F-16 fighters from the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Norway, while it will receive Gripen fighters from Sweden once the program is completed.
