Germany's Baerbock blasts Scholz's SPD over wavering support for Kiev

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Saturday accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) of watering down support for Ukraine just two weeks before a key state election.

Baerbock, a member of the Greens and a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, was speaking at a party meeting in the eastern city of Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg.

Ahead of elections in the state on September 22, Baerbock said she had counted on Brandenburg premier Dietmar Woidke to continue supporting Ukraine, but was dismayed after the regional chapter of the SPD wavered on supplying arms to the embattled country in a pre-election indicator for voters.

The document in question saw the SPD respond "neutral" to the statement: "Brandenburg should work to ensure that Germany continues to supply arms to Ukraine."

Baerbock said she was concerned about how Scholz, a fellow resident of Potsdam, should vote in the upcoming election.

She asked: "Whom should he actually vote for in Brandenburg on September 22?"

If Woidke and his party did not correct their course, Scholz would have to vote for the Greens, the foreign minister joked.

Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022, supported by Western countries including Germany and, chiefly, the US.