(Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock indirectly criticised Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his reluctance to approve a further 3 billion euros ($3.09 billion) in additional military aid for Ukraine.
“To be honest, it hurts me a lot,” she said without mentioning the chancellor’s name in an interview with Politico released on Friday, adding that for some politicians gaining a few votes was more important than securing Europe’s peace and freedom.
Earlier this week, Scholz said he had suggested expanding the currently earmarked 12 billion euros for this year, but the additional money must not be provided at the cost of cutting social spending.
Baerbock’s Greens party and Scholz’s SPD party are currently partners in the minority government after the ruling coalition collapsed in November, but both parties are also competing in the snap elections on Feb. 23.
Baerbock said in the interview that for her, responsible politics means not to blow with the wind, then act the other way around in election campaigns, adding that Scholz’s behaviour also harmed the trust of the European allies in Germany.
Germany, the second largest provider of financial and military support to Ukraine after the U.S., is struggling against a double-digit budget shortfall amid economic stagnation.
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(Reporting by Andrey Sychev; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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