The Alternative for Germany (AfD) opposition party has called for the German parliament to retain a veto over any future federal government plans to send arms to conflict zones after expressing their concern that indirect German military intervention is fueling the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The AfD parliamentary group has put forward a proposal that would give MPs the right to stop governments from acting unilaterally should they oppose the supply of arms to any country involved in a conflict.
Specifically, the group is calling for a parliamentary veto if arms exports could trigger or exacerbate existing tensions or conflicts.
The proposal states the German federal government is currently undertaking a “big risk” with the extent of military support it is pledging to Kyiv; it also warns that the supply of arms to Ukraine is being justified due to “an international unipolar order in which international law is being interpreted by the great powers to their own advantage.” The AfD lamented the fact that due to the supply of arms from Western allies, “the war with all its negative effects on the civilian population is now being extended.”
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“It cannot be ruled out that Germany, with the increasing supply of weapons, will still become a party to the war. The whereabouts of weapons or their possible transfer is not always clear in advance,” the party warned.
The conservative party, which also frequently states its opposition to German military involvement in Ukraine, either directly or indirectly, justified its call for a parliamentary veto on military support by citing several recent surveys that have “clearly shown the majority of Germans fundamentally reject arms deliveries to war zones.” The AfD added that “there is also no lack of constitutional concerns.”
The proposal refers to the Basic Law of the German constitution, which commits Germany to focus on “serving peace in the world,” a principle the party claims is incompatible with its current military support for Ukraine.
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“The members of the German Bundestag must therefore, as representatives of the German people, be involved in the decision as to whether Germany should deliver weapons to conflict and war zones,” the party concluded.
Germany has delivered its own Leopard tanks and Marder armored infantry vehicles to bolster Ukrainian President Zelensky’s troops in Ukraine. It has also approved the re-export by several countries of its own German-made weapons and tanks.
In addition, the German federal government last week approved an extra €12 billion funding package of military support to Ukraine, payable over the next two years.
Meanwhile, support for German involvement in the conflict is crumbling. A Forsa poll conducted in January revealed that over 80 percent of respondents believe that it is more important to end the war with negotiations than for Ukraine to win, while a recent Ipsos poll showed that just 43 percent believe the problems of Ukraine matter for Germany and feel the country should continue to involve itself in the conflict.
