On Thursday evening at 8:15 p.m., the first shows a focal point for Panzer Zoff. Exclusive interviews with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and the new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will be shown. FOCUS online reports in the live ticker.
8.30 p.m .: Hassel asks whether he will give the green light tomorrow for other countries to be able to deliver Leopard tanks. That will become clear in the next few hours or tomorrow.” Then he lists what Germany is delivering – even without tanks. “But the accusation that we are doing too little cannot be ignored.”
8:29 p.m .: “Are we acting as a brake?” Hassel asks and names Great Britain and Poland as suppliers. “Not all nations deliver, the tanks are technically very high quality and we have to coordinate whether and how much we do it.”
8:28 p.m .: Pistorius says that there is no “I give as much as you” agreement. “I’m not aware of that.” It is important that “we proceed in a coordinated manner. We have handled it that way and will continue to do so.”
8:27 p.m .: Selenskyj finally emphasizes again how grateful he is. “I want everyone to hear it: We are grateful to Germany. We are grateful.”
8:26 p.m .: “If you have Leopard tanks, give them to us.” Providing help to someone in need is not a competition, says Selenskyj and adds: “These leopards do not drive through the Russian Federation. We defend ourselves.”
8:25 p.m .: When asked about Scholz’ current tank statements, Selenskyj first thanks the Chancellor and the USA for their help. Then he limits. “It’s not good to say, ‘I give as much as you give.’ It’s not a competition of ambitions. You are grown people. You can certainly talk for another six months, but people die here every day.”
8:23 p.m.: Golod directs the conversation to arms deliveries. “Ukraine needs protection on the battlefield,” emphasizes Zelenskyy, explaining what Ukraine needs: rocket launchers, vehicles, ammunition. “Russians know they will die, but our people have a different motivation.”
8:22 p.m .: Russia, on the other hand, “spreads panic, they see it and do it. That is their strategy.”
8:21 p.m .: “The main thing in this case is that we do not lose faith that we will win,” says Selenskyj. “We know what we have to do in order to eventually return to normal life.” He points out how people in and with the liberated areas are dealing with this. “They see the flag and are happy to return.”
8:20 p.m .: “What does that do to you emotionally?” ARD correspondent Golod asks the Ukrainian President. “It’s emotionally painful. I believe that every person in Ukraine who loses loved ones experiences the same pain. I have to set a good example for the employees, the team – for the people in general.”
8:18 p.m .: Then Hassel forwards to a current description of the situation in the form of a video contribution to Ukraine. After this post comes the exclusive interview with Selenskyj.
8:17 p.m .: “I like working with people, I’m a good listener and I can grasp things quickly,” says Pistorius when asked by Hassel how he would describe himself succinctly.
8:16 p.m .: “Could you say more to your US colleagues today than the Chancellor wrote to you?” Hassel asks. “Of course I can,” he says, snubbed. In two weeks he could logically say more, “but it was a good conversation”.
8:15 p.m .: Tina Hassel welcomes the guests in the ARD focal point. First she gives an overview and then welcomes Boris Pistorius.
7:54 p.m .: Quotations from the ARD interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyj were already known in advance. “You can certainly talk for another six months, but people die here every day,” said the Ukrainian President in an interview with ARD correspondent Vassili Golod.
He demands: “If you have Leopard tanks, then give them to us.” Giving help to someone in need is not a competition, he said, adding: “These leopards don’t drive through the Russian Federation. We defend ourselves.”
With regard to Ukrainian airspace, Zelenskyy would like more support. “It’s about defending Heaven. One would very much like to turn a new page in this war. In this defense. The defense would be more accurate. It’s the planes, of course. Because one wishes that the Russians would not have control over our airspace.” At the same time, he thanked Germany and the government for the aid packages that had been delivered so far: “Chancellor Scholz gave Ukraine, our army, a very good support package. I am grateful to him for that. And I am very grateful to the United States and President Biden, Congress and all parliamentarians for a strong package.”
Even after Christine Lambrecht resigned and Boris Pistorius took office, the smoldering dispute over German tank supplies to the Ukraine is the dominant issue in political Germany. Now, on Thursday at 8:15 p.m., ARD is broadcasting the focal point “Panzerpoker: Leopards for Ukraine?” on this topic.
An exclusive interview with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj will be shown. In addition, presenter Tina Hassel interviewed Germany’s new Defense Minister Pistorius in the ARD capital studio.
