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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock launched a veiled attack on Chancellor Olaf Scholz for preventing additional military aid to Ukraine, accusing him of endangering European peace in order to “quickly win a few votes” as elections approached in the largest country in the European Union.

“It really hurts me,” said Burbuk, whose Green Party portrays itself as Kiev’s strongest supporter on the campaign trail for next month’s federal election. Schulz It was refusing to approve an additional 3 billion euros to support arms purchases.

Without mentioning Schulz by name, Baerbock said she was disturbed that for some politicians, the question of “how can I quickly win a few votes in a general election is more important than the responsibility of truly securing peace and freedom in Europe.”

“Responsible politics does not mean going in the direction the wind is blowing and maybe changing direction during the campaign,” she told Politico.

Support for Ukraine against Russian aggression has become a divisive issue ahead of the vote in Germany on February 23, as European countries seek to step up their support for Kiev amid fears that Donald Trump will scale back US aid after his inauguration as US president next year. week.

Schulz tried to play down those concerns on Friday, saying he did not expect the United States under Trump to stop “supporting Ukraine in its defense.”

Keir Starmer on Thursday made his first visit as UK Prime Minister to Ukraine to meet the president Volodymyr Zelensky. Starmer, who has been criticized for being slower to visit Kiev than previous Conservative prime ministers, promised Britain would play its “full role” in ensuring the country’s security.

Germany is the second largest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the United States. Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, from Schulz’s Social Democratic Party, are seeking additional funds to buy more military equipment to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, which invaded its neighbor nearly three years ago.

The additional funds, which will come on top of the €4 billion already allocated for 2025 in a temporary budget, will be used to purchase three new Iris-T anti-aircraft batteries as well as air defense missiles and artillery shells.

But Schulz, who has sought to appeal to voters who are skeptical about the NATO military alliance and fearful of drawing Germany into direct conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has portrayed himself as the more cautious and judicious figure toward Moscow.

The chancellor said he would only approve the money if it was financed by a temporary “debt brake” suspension that places strict limits on government borrowing. “Otherwise the money wouldn’t be there,” he said Wednesday.

Schulz, who has fought to raise support for his party above 16 percent, warned voters that the fiscally hardline Christian Democrats, which are leading in opinion polls, would finance support for Ukraine through deep cuts in social welfare spending.

The Christian Democratic Union has indicated that it would be willing to support a new package for Ukraine, but not if it meant issuing more debt.

Funding for the package is “not so trivial,” said Guntram Wolf, a fellow at the Bruegel Research Center in Brussels. The 2025 budget was not approved due to the collapse of Schulz’s tripartite coalition after the dismissal of the liberal finance minister, leaving a minority government that includes the Social Democrats and the Greens.

The impasse could be resolved through a parliamentary vote before the election, but Wolff said the chancellor was reluctant to hold it because it would be too divisive for the Social Democrats.

“Shultz has been deliberately vague about his support for Ukraine to speak to those in his own party who are skeptical about sending more military weapons,” he said. “These people are very powerful and it makes political sense to keep them in the ranks.”

The chancellor, who is also seeking to avoid losing votes to the left-wing, pro-Russian nationalist Sahra-Wagenknecht coalition, has portrayed election front-runner Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU, and Robert Habeck, the Green Party’s chancellor candidate, as dangerous “hotheads”.

He refused to supply long-range Taurus missiles to Kiev, due to fears of escalation with Russia.

Merz has portrayed himself as a more committed supporter of Kiev and a more reliable partner for Western allies than Schulz.

But he has recently softened his tone on the conflict and hidden loud calls for Taurus missiles as he faces mounting pressure from the pro-Russian Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The far-right, anti-immigration party ranks second in opinion polls with around 20 percent, nearly 10 points behind the CDU.