German opposition leader wants Berlin to send combat planes to Kyiv

20 comments

1. >Germany is the second-largest military donor to Ukraine after the United States, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains reluctant to supply some key capabilities, including F-16 fighter jets.

   You can´t delivered what you not have. Germany has no F-16.

2. NATO committed 60 F-16’s to Ukraine, 12 are to arrive pretty soon. That’s over 3 billion dollars just in Jets.

3. From the CDU, Angela Merkel’s party who spent tens or hundreds of billions on Russian oil and gas, wound down Germany’s military and gave an excuse to the rest of Europe to wind down theirs.

4. The other day he had the idea of deporting Ukraines refugees who are unwilling to work here. You can’t trust that guy.

5. He would sell Ukraine instantly for cheap russian gas and oil .. don’t trust anything this guy says or his party for that matter.

6. Friedrich Merz is a populist and on a AfD level of stupid.

   He probably thinks we have F22s too. And a Deathstar.

7. You know, the problem with NATO fighter jets and tanks is that Russia can’t tell easily if the crew are Ukrainian, or not. So you end up with a situation where any fighter jet *may* be seen as an act of aggression by a NATO member country.

   For attacks within Russia this becomes especially dangerous.

8. 🇪🇺🤝🇺🇦

9. I mean it’s pretty likely he will be the next chancellor so this stance is very good. He will probably boost local arms manufacturing and deliver more stuff made in Germany.

10. He should stick to running the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant instead of talking about the Spruce Moose.

11. The same guy who’s party decreased military spending so much that the German military is not combat ready in any shape or Form, the same guy who stopped the current government from investing more for the state, including military spending

12. German opposition leader, who’s party is responsible for every single issue Germany is currently facing due to being in charge for the past 30 years or so, uses every chance he gets to complain about the current government.

    There, fixed the headline for you.

13. It’s really easy to promise things when you’re the opposition.

    He either doesn’t believe Ukraine will be there in the autumn 2025, or he doesn’t think beyond next election only.

    Probably both.

14. no Germany doesn’t have F-16 however there are multiple possibilities for sending fighter Jets to Ukraine:

    1. Retire some or all of the 89 Panavia Tornadoes early or commit them to Ukraine for when they are retired

    2. Send Ukraine the older Tranche 1 Eurofighters or give them to another State to backfill what they send Ringtausch style

    3. Simply buy Fighter Jets on the Market for Ukraine, JAS-39 Gripen would come to mind

15. To defend right?

    Right?

16. For people not familiar with German politics, this guys is universally loathed. The only thing he’s got going for him is the unpopularity of the current parties governing, but his own party is just slightly less liked as well, having failed to reform or prepare Germany for anything in the 16 years they were in government.

17. As soon as he’s in power he’ll say the opposite. His party is just saying everything opposite to the parties in power. They suck at this whole opposition thing.

18. Ok but this guy is a nut job that should not be allowed to get closer to power.

19. Pretty rich coming from the party that got Germany hooked on Russian gas, decimated the social safety nets and neglected to do any kimd of modernisation over their 20 years in power.

    And before OP comes at me like the good little shill they are: He and Merkel disliking each other is not the own you think it is, because Merkel was bad but he is way worse. He is a skameless populist who pushed the CDU waaay closer to the far right over the last 5 years.

20. I am in favor of a ring swap.

    We give Tornados to Ukraine and get the replacement for them from some other country.