BERLIN/HALLE (dpa-AFX) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has confirmed that he will only agree to additional arms deliveries to Ukraine worth three billion euros if the debt brake is suspended. "The only solution without financing it through cuts across Germany is additional borrowing," he said after meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Berlin. "Incidentally, this is the path that practically every country around us has taken."

At an election rally in Halle, Scholz emphasized that the money would have to come from somewhere, and that citizens would have to know where it was coming from before the election. "That's the problem: some people are saying, 'We're not talking about that now.' And afterwards, everyone wakes up to a completely different reality."

Quarrel with Baerbock: Who's blowing hot air?

In a press conference in Berlin, Scholz rejected the indirect accusation by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) that he was abusing the issue for election campaign purposes. "I don't want to go into who is hanging their flag out to the wind," he said.

Baerbock had told Politico that it pains her that in the election campaign, some people doubtfully consider winning votes for the federal election more important than Europe's responsibility for peace. "For me, responsible politics means not hanging the flag in the wind and perhaps hanging it the other way around in election campaigns," said Baerbock without mentioning Scholz by name.

The Greens, like the FDP and the CDU/CSU, believe that it is possible to finance aid to Ukraine via an "unscheduled expense". This would have to be requested by the responsible defense minister, Boris Pistorius (SPD), and approved by finance minister Jorg Kukies (SPD). According to Article 112 of the Basic Law, however, such consent may "only be granted in the event of an unforeseen and unavoidable need". An example of such an expense in 2013 was emergency aid for flood victims after severe flooding in parts of Germany.

Pistorius wants a quick decision

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) called for a swift decision. It would be good if this could be achieved before the federal election on February 23, he emphasized during a visit to the shipyard of the submarine builder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in Wismar. "Actually, we need it by the end of the month, because that's when the budget committee will meet for the last time to decide on it." He said he was hearing from all democratic parties that they were willing to work together on solutions. Now it was a matter of finding a consensus-building approach.

Merz accuses Scholz of playing domestic political games

CDU leader Friedrich Merz also accused the Chancellor of an election maneuver. "I think it is irresponsible that a game is obviously being played with the people in Ukraine for domestic political gain," the CDU's chancellor candidate told the news portal "t-online."

"The moment the alternatives are: state political responsibility or domestic political gain, this SPD and this Chancellor usually choose the second."

Merz emphasized that a weakening of the debt brake is not necessary at all. "The federal government can easily decide on an unscheduled expenditure in accordance with the Federal Budget Code, can carry it out and inform the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag about it. That is the way to go."

Scholz does not expect a decision until after the election

Due to the different approaches, Scholz assumes that the financing question will not be decided until the election on February 23. "This question will be put to the vote in the federal election: whether you want to do it at the expense of the budget and at the expense of cohesion, justice and future investments in Germany or separately."

Scholz received backing from SPD leader Saskia Esken. If Baerbock rejects the suspension of the debt brake, "then she should explain where she wants to save the three billion euros in a budget in which around 20 billion is already missing," she told the German Press Agency. "We are not willing to cut domestic, foreign or social security in our country and thus jeopardize cohesion."

FDP wants clarification of alleged 26 billion hole in the budget

The statement by Scholz in an RTL interview, in the 2025 budget, which has not yet been decided, 26 billion euros are missing, also caused a stir. In the fall, the talk was of a shortfall of around 12 billion euros. The FDP now wants to summon Finance Minister Kukies before the budget committee. He is to explain there how large the gap is, how it is made up and how he intends to close it.

Otto Fricke, the budget policy spokesperson for the FDP faction in the Bundestag, accuses the Chancellor of selectively viewing the federal government's financial situation. "Contrary to previous statements by Finance Minister Jorg Kukies that he has everything under control, Olaf Scholz is now surprising with his statement that there is a budget gap of 26 billion euros. First there is money to take over the old debts of the municipalities and to reduce the network fees, but then not to defend the citizens of Ukraine against Russian drone and rocket attacks."/sk/DP/mis