Tensions within Scholz’s own coalition became apparent during a hearing of the parliamentary defence committee last Friday. Marcus Faber, a lawmaker from the pro-business FDP, who questioned the chancellor on his Ukraine policy, stormed out of room — and headed straight to the first TV camera.

“Unfortunately, many of our questions have not been answered,” he said. “That’s why we as Liberal Democrats decided shortly after 9 a.m. to leave this meeting.”

Faber later apologised for his outburst, and his party is clearly backing the coalition plan for the special fund.

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The fund is meant to supplement an increase in German annual defencee spending to more than 2% of gross domestic product, and would be paid for outside of the regular budget.

The Greens, who have been emboldened by gains in regional elections while Scholz’s own Socialist Democrat party suffered losses, want the package to include cyber defence, which would mean a small fraction of the money would go to the foreign ministry, rather than the defence ministry.

Frustrations were evident during a recent cabinet meeting. As Scholz was complaining about Friedrich Merz, the leader of the main opposition conservatives, for being opportunistic by planning a trip to Kyiv, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, the former Green party co-leader, called him out for being inept.

“I would have also done that,” Habeck was quoted by German media as grumbling.

Habeck later publicly expressed support for Merz’s trip, and made clear he expected the government to follow suit. Yet while Annalena Baerbock, the former Green party leader who is now foreign minister, has travelled to Ukraine, Scholz still hasn’t.

Ich bin unfassbar froh, hier im freien #Kiew zu sein. Der dafür notwendige Mut der Ukrainer*innen ist ergreifend. Meine Botschaft ist klar: Die #Ukraine kann sich auf unsere Unterstützung verlassen – nicht nur militärisch, nicht nur heute. pic.twitter.com/VtwEzEDJVI

— Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock (@ABaerbock) May 10, 2022

In an internal meeting Wednesday, Baerbock argued that €2,5 billion from the defence fund should be used for non-military purposes. She suggested the package didn’t need to be approved immediately, according to a participant who declined to be named because the deliberations were confidential.  A defence ministry spokeswoman was not available for a comment.

The Greens deny they are to blame for the postponement of the vote, and play down tensions. Instead, two party officials say that the CDU-led conservative bloc is the one opposing the package, and is stoking rumors of a coalition rift because it doesn’t want to be seen as the one shooting the plan down.

Merz has said his party will offer support if Scholz will stand by his initial pledge for all of the €100 billion flows into military projects.

Scholz and Merz sparred over the delay, during the Bundestag debate on Thursday. “Yes, we’re in talks — whether they’re good talks I’m not so sure,” Merz told parliament. “Resistance is not coming from us. It’s coming from your own government caucus.”