Eurofighter offers Berlin to Warsaw – German ‘no’ to no-fly zone

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Intense concern but cautious, restrained remarks in the German capital the day after the missile strike in Poland. Announcements from the Ministry of Defense.

The German government is “shocked” by the developments in Poland after yesterday’s blow to the village of Psevoduf, according to the statement of government representative Wolfgang Buchner in Berlin. “The investigations are being conducted under great pressure,” he said characteristically without taking a position on “who is to blame.” He emphasized, however, “that without Russia’s war in Ukraine something like this would not have happened”.

The big news, however, comes from the German Ministry of Defense. In response to the missile strike on the Polish border-NATO territory and regardless of the origin of the missile, the German government offers Warsaw German Eurofigher fighter jets, an as yet unknown number. The aim is to strengthen the Polish air defense with German support in recording and surveillance flights. According to the Ministry of Defense already tomorrow, German Eurofighters could arrive in Poland, if desired, without even needing to be stationed there. They will be able to return to Germany, as a representative of the Ministry of Defense said, stressing that this is still an “offer”, pending the Polish response.

At the same time, the German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht also announced today the extension of the German mission in Slovakia until the end of 2023 and possibly until 2024. The German armed forces have been deployed in Slovakia as part of the strengthening of NATO’s eastern wing, with German assistance to be focused on the Patriot air defense system.

German ‘no’ to no-fly zone

As the government briefing also shows, Germany still rejects a possible blockade of the airspace over Ukraine, because this could lead to a “direct NATO-Russia conflict”.

As for the attack in Poland, the German government, however, chooses to wait for the moment until the final findings on the causes of the explosions. The government spokesman even called US President Joe Biden’s announcements about Ukrainian defensive fire “hypotheses”. He described the situation as “very serious” noting that precisely for this reason “there is no room for speculation”.

However, he avoided answering a question about whether the German government shares Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenky’s statements about a Russian strike. The German government in any case condemns the Russian attacks across Ukraine on critical energy infrastructure, said B. Buchner.

Soltz: Let’s focus on facts, not speculation

However, since last night, an “alarm” was sounded in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the chancellery. At 3 a.m. in Bali, Indonesia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was woken up by his foreign policy advisor Jens Plettner to bring him the news from Poland.

“We have to wait for the results of the ongoing investigations,” the German Chancellor said at a press conference from Bali on the causes of the strike on Polish soil. He emphasized, however, after being asked about the American announcements that “all this would not have happened without the war in Ukraine.” But “we have to focus on the facts”, he stressed. Also in an interview with the ARD network on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, the German chancellor spoke of a “terrifying incident”, but he also emphasized there that “rumors should not be broadcast, but clear facts”.

“My thoughts are with our friends and allies in Poland. Condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims. We are in communication with NATO allies. “NATO is strong,” says German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht via Twitter. For their part, the Christian Democrats, through their spokesman for Foreign Policy Norbert Rotgen, praised the “cool” attitude of Warsaw, which did not act “hastily” and resorted to consultations with its partners.

DW – Dimitra Kyranoudis, Berlin

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