[000:00:00;00] ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin. germany stands up for its decision to arm ukraine . you're seeing life pictures from the bond of talk with gemini, german chancellor, will actually is about to explain his reversal, but decades old policy that prevented alms shipments to conflict loans. we will have full coverage for you. ah,

i manuscripts mckinnon. thanks so much for joining us. today, sh german chancellor, we'll actually have some explaining to do here in germany after a landmark decision to send weapons to ukraine as it resists russia's invasion. the blunders talk has convened to hear from the chance. not only why he's backtracked on german policy, but long banned weapons exports to war zones. as decision to send anti plank weapons. and missiles came off to intense pressure from partners, and brings berlin into line with other western allies supplying alms to ukraine. and while we're waiting to join the speech about be given by chance, that will actually show i'm joined by d. w as chief political correspondent, belinda crane to talk more about what we're about to hear and the mentors decision . it's a major, you turn for the german government, this decision. what was it that finally pushed it to change course on arms

deliveries to you can't. are you well as trying there are all the shots himself said yesterday evening in a tweet. we are at a historic turning point and that turning point for germany is really momentous. in some ways this looks like the end of the post world war 2 era over 70 years or, or nearly 70 years later. and the fact is that we are seeing germany a sensually now i throw overboard a long standing prohibition on the shipment of weapons to conflict zones. that prohibition reflected a lesson learned from world war 2 or more of aggression that germany itself started . and it included a taboo, particularly on sending weapons to any zone where they might be used against russian soldiers, given the fact that germany had inflicted terrible suffering on russia. but under the circumstances that we're seeing now with, of course, an,

an enormous amount of criticism from nato partners of the indirect criticism from the u. s. it has been somewhat more restrained than some of germany, germany's nato allies. but nonetheless, a lot of questioning of this prohibition party since germany is a major weapons export and it's weapons do in fact, often find their ways to conflict zone. so we are now seeing this turn around with chance to allow schultz clearly having done some soul searching. also, having met with his leading ministers from all 3 of the coalition parties. so we are seeing real unity on this amongst the parties represented in the coalition. and amongst the largest of the opposition parties, the course from democrats, the, and the christian social union, which of course of those are england ackles. that's anglo macros party, which are also long adhered to this issue. okay, so it's not a controversial decision within, within german politics. what about the german people and you know, how will they feel about this decision?

it's not something everyone's gonna comes over. no, and we're seeing tremendous rethinking also among the public. i can't tell you how many messages i've received from well informed german friends who said we didn't think hooting would do this. we truly believed in the german idea that through commercial relations we insure stability and moderation. so yes, there is a, there's a lot of soul searching. there's a lot of questioning, but we're also seeing many, many people say, yes, it's time, particularly in the face of these pictures of valiant ukrainian forces standing up to a vast force of fun that russian military vastly outnumbering them. and also, as everyone has said, you know, a one sided war proteins war, a war of aggression. yeah. i mean, a sense that potentially in jamiah, this is the right thing to do now. but of course, historically, germans have been terribly against, haven't they involvement in any kind of conflict,

any kind of weapon. so i'm sure that there is all deeply ingrained pacifism in this country. some would say to the point of naivete, and in fact olaf schultz, this week is often used the word naive saying we must pursue diplomacy, but not to the point of naivete. but in fact, many would say there have been occasions when it looked a lot like naive a tail leslie's, let's say, very, very unrealistic. nonetheless, it is valid always to pursue a diplomatic course. the big question is only, do you simultaneously pursue a deterrent course? and in many ways, clinging to diplomacy was the heart of the lesson that germany learned not only during world war or, or from world war 2, but afterward during the cold war. when the social democratic party, in particular, pursued aust politic maintaining commercial and cultural relations with eastern european countries behind the iron curtain in the hope that that would change

a people's way of thinking. and certainly it did. but that was coupled with deterrence and germany at that time, including under a social democratic chancellor helmut schmidt and of course, love schultz is also a social democrat, also pursued deterrence. it was here that the pershing weapons were stationed and that very much helped to bring the russian regime to its knees. so, diplomacy and occur deterrence together not to pharmacy to the exclusion of deterrence. and essentially, that's the change we're now seeing. okay. concretely, what kind of weapons does germany intend to supply and how a lathe in b, b, b, gotten to the ukranian army. very good question. it is ascending anti tank missiles and stinger surface to air missiles, a 1000 of the former $500.00 of the latter. apparently they will probably go in via poland to nato member country. and of course,

a neighbor of ukraine. we don't know the details on the logistics. also, there are 2 other sets of weapons that will be sent. some stockpiled in the netherlands, others old howitzers actually from the east german time that had been sent to estonia and estonia now wants to send them on to ukraine. estonia, of course, being a nato member country and it had been pushing hard to send on these weapons. but for weeks the germans had resisted because in fact that prohibition that i mentioned applied to german manufactured weapons, no matter where they're stockpiled. so those will also now be set. melinda, i can see that the chancellor is about start speaking for we'll cross over right now. they get a president and instead of going to, you know, league and colleagues, smithville going to court compatriots, the few on sponsors to fit 24th of february 2022 marked

a change in the history of a continent in attacking ukraine. the russian president, putin song launched and or of aggression cold bloodedly. for one reason, to heighten the stop, the freedom of ukraine and put it under its yoke. this goes against humanity. this goes against international law and there's nothing whatever that could justify this attack. quickly buddha was really terrible. images we have been seeing from kiev. i desa mattie or paul show the unscrupulous nurse of put in the shocking injustice, the pain of ukrainians all touch us very much good. hopefully. i know your florida. exactly. you're going to see what our fellow countrymen and

women are asking themselves for in the evenings. what concerns they have looking at what they're finding out from this is a worth many. remember, our grandparents are great grandparents talking about the war and for young people, it's impossible to imagine. how can there be a war in europe now? smells. many of you have been expressing this outrage in berlin. we have experienced and ordered a break in everything. we have none until now. and that means that the world before this attack is not the same as the world before. it. essentially, it's about the question of whether might, will, can great or possibly laws, whether we richter can allow, put in to turn back the clock to the time of imperial powers of the 19th century, or whether we can draw

a line in the sand and contain this doesn't that aiden is down to for this requires a strength be on our part. yes. if we want to show him clear boundaries and yes, we want to diff, defend our democracy, our freedom, and our prosperity. and i am grateful to you about your doctor, president of the bundle target for convening. this is a special session and i am glad that i am able to speak to all of you. and i want to thank all of the leaders of elementary groups of all the different parties for supporting with convening of this special session of the bonus that ladies gentlemen in attacking ukraine put in, doesn't just want to eradicate a country from the wild mattel. he is destroying the european security structure that we have had since the final act of helsinki for nearly half

a century. and in doing so, he is putting himself outside of the international community world wide table. we have worked with france tools about child to get the you and scared to counsel, to name russian its attack as what it is, namely and infamous, your break of international law and order. and i believe we have summer success. what we have seen is that we are not alone in defending a large piece, and we will continue to work standing up towards achieving this. and i'm very grateful to return my foreign minister variable for what she has achieved thus far as well. in this regard, moorman done organs assigned as beatles called to last. it was only by using the

emergency brake of vito a permanent member of security council that they could prevent this. that in itself is an outrage. visited putting the president putin global, keeps talking about inviolable. security like auditing, but up with what he's actually doing is using weapons to try to bring part of the continent under his power. and this will have an impact on the rest of europe as well. permanent security in europe is not possible with russia they ab put in, is endangering this and we need to not mince i words in the are as follows on we are tackling the challenge that these times have made of us with

a cool head resolutely like there are 5 approaches that we want to take your most of your firstly of, that's what we need to support ukraine and it's our of desperate need. and also for recent weeks and months, we have done this as much as we can retina with the attack on ukraine. we find ourselves in a new age in care of in hot give a d. s a multiple. people are not just defending their homeland. they are fighting for liberty and democracy for values that we share with them. let's do applauding building as democratic more as european use euro's like we stand with you. we stand on the right side of history with i'm dollars of a president on thursday. we're president put in attacking ukraine created and new reality. and this new reality requires

a clear response. we have given this clear response, as you know, yesterday we decided that germany will deliver a weapons to ukraine, so it can defend itself. with me on this plane and there was no other response possible to put ins aggression. ladies and gentlemen, like us are 2nd ones i'm mandate schools is to get hootin away from this path of ever warring on ukraine. it is a disaster for you end, but it will prove to be a disaster for russia to remind them do you want together with the heads of state and government of the e. u. we have proved

a raft of sanctions that are unprecedented. we are cutting export russian banks, chemicals, and we are off and we are taking the oligarchy money away from them, or we're focusing on where we can do that. and there will be sanctions placed on putin and all of those close to him. when it comes to visas for members of the government, obviously. and you're also about we oh god swanson that swift alt, excluding important russian banks from swift. from the swift symptom, we decided on this yesterday. and we are going to take this significant step mom beyond middle school, let's not kid ourselves. my minute though putin will not change his course over