Senior Green lawmaker on Leopard delivery: ‘Better late than never’

Berlin, Jan 24,(dpa/GNA) – Green Party lawmakers in Germany’s Bundestag, greeted the government’s decision to hand over Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine.

“The Leopard’s freed!” tweeted Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt on Tuesday evening.

“Now hopefully it can quickly help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian attack, and for the freedom of Ukraine and Europe.”

The chairman of the Europe Union Affairs committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, told the RND media group: “Of course it would have been better to make the decision sooner, especially for Germany’s reputation in Europe. But better late than never.”

Hofreiter added that Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes he can win his war of aggression against the neighbouring country.

“We have to make it clear to him that this will not happen.”

The Greens are part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way coalition.

Questions over weapons deliveries to Ukraine have exposed cracks in the coalition, with the Greens urging more military support while Scholz’s Social Democrats have been more hesitant.
GNA