The Chancellor candidates from the Union, AfD, SPD and Greens faced questions from the public in the ZDF show “Klartext” on Thursday evening. Both German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and CDU leader Friedrich Merz expressed themselves on the announcement by US President Donald Trump to start immediate negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the future of Ukraine.
Scholz criticized Trump’s behavior. His criticism was not that the US President was talking to the Russian President. “As you know, I have done that too” said the SPD’s top candidate. However, it was not right for understanding to be reached over the heads of the Ukrainians. “Now we must make sure that this does not happen, by ensuring as Europeans that Ukraine is not left alone and that nothing is decided over its head.”
Merz defended his demand for the delivery of Taurus short-range missiles to Ukraine. “I am very pessimistic about the prospects for Ukraine and we will be held accountable in the future for not helping Ukraine enough, not clearly enough and not well enough” said the Union’s top candidate. He called for a European response to Trump’s handling of Ukraine, without providing any details.
Economic Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) was confronted with the fact that the government had cut the electric vehicle subsidy despite the broken climate targets in the transportation sector. “If we had known the fatal, psychological effects of this decision, that many people would have decided not to buy an electric car, we might have tried it differently, but at the time, the money was gone and the budget had to be decided” he said.
The Greens’ top candidate advocated for a tax deduction that can be used by companies for investments, such as the purchase of electric cars. “For normal taxpayers, I would also make it so that we better tax the lost purchase premium” said Habeck.
On the topic of climate protection and jobs, Scholz stuck to the transition to electric cars. It would be “the wrongest thing if we were to go back” said the Chancellor. He advocated for a European sales promotion. “We must invest in electromobility and if one looks at the models that are now coming from Volkswagen and others, including cheaper vehicles, I am sure: By 2030, the breakthrough will be made. We will ensure that no one worries about the electricity.”
Merz was asked about the heating law, which the Union wants to repeal. CDU Vice had also advocated for the repeal of the heating subsidy. On the question of how he plans to socially cushion the rising heating costs for oil and gas heating due to the CO2 price, Merz promised a so-called “climate money.” It would depend on how the climate money was designed, he said. In the election program, the Union had still written that the income from the CO2 price was to be used first to reduce the electricity tax and the network charges.