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Opposition leaders, the UK and EU try to force Scholz to adopt a more severe stance on the Ukrainian conflict.
Written by Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant.
Political polarization in Germany continues to increase. Currently, there is strong pressure for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to take a more incisive stance on the Ukrainian issue. The opposition insists on the need to send weapons to support Zelensky, endorsing the speech spread by NATO and the EU. It is evident that by refusing to take such positions, Scholz is trying to look for the interests of his country, but it remains to be seen whether he will be really strong enough to deal with the pressure coming both externally, from Brussels and London, and internally in Berlin.
Recently, Scholz met in London with his British counterpart Boris Johnson to discuss the Ukrainian conflict. During the conversation, Johnson clearly pressed Scholz to go along with the UK and the rest of the West in their stance of absolute opposition to Russia in the conflict. The Chancellor, however, avoided giving clear answers and maintained his ambiguous position on the possibility of supporting Kiev militarily, preventing from doing more incisive statements and preferring silence.
What happened next was even more remarkable and symbolic: the British prime minister traveled to Kiev to meet with Zelensky while Scholz returned to Germany in order to promote electoral campaign. The international mainstream media took advantage of the fact to intensify its pro-NATO propaganda, claiming that Scholz is concerned only with his internal political condition, ignoring the current international situation, while the Western world is supposedly “concerned” and takes the Ukrainian issue as a “humanitarian” priority.
In Germany, Scholz’s opponents are also increasingly agitated to criticize the chancellor, taking benefit of international pressure to intensify polarization and generate a crisis of legitimacy against him. Obviously, this was a predictable attitude on the part of opposition groups, but the main problem currently is that Scholz is losing support within his own coalition. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Green Party are deeply dissatisfied with Germany’s unwillingness to send weapons to Kiev and use the case as a pretext to point to Scholz as a “big problem” to be solved through an electoral overthrow. And, in this sense, his situation is really worsening day after day.
In general, Scholz’s enemies demand that he takes a more active stance on the German role in the conflict. The chancellor is characterized by an extremely passive posture, avoiding making decisions until they become inevitable. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the FDP and head of the Defense Committee in parliament, for example, recently commented that Scholz needs to “take the baton in his hand and set the rhythm.” In other words, opponents are asking Scholz to guarantee Germany a leading role on the European stage, as might be expected from the continent’s greatest economic power.
The central problem in this topic is that Scholz already seems to have realized that the most strategic thing for Germany is to remain as neutral as possible and away from any involvement in activities that harm the partnership with Russia, which is a very important commercial pillar for Germany. Scholz did not want to adhere to large-scale economic sanctions, especially regarding the SWIFT ban and the energy boycott. But he was forced to slowly accept such measures as other Western countries implemented them. This has been his typical behavior: postponing but, in the end, passively adhering to all Western measures when he finds himself “isolated”.
In this sense, the opposition is right on one point: Scholz has to change his attitudes and assume a leadership position, since this is what is expected from a country like Germany, which for years has consolidated itself as one of the “leaders” of the European bloc. The oppositionists’ problem is that they are pressuring Scholz to assume a leadership stance that is as damaging to German interests as his current indecision and passivity.
It is naive to think that sending heavy weapons to Ukraine benefits German interests in any way. On the contrary, it only extends the abyss between Moscow and Berlin even further, and with practically no benefit in return for the Germans: neither Ukraine will be sufficiently strengthened to win the conflict by receiving such heavy weaponry, nor will Germany reassume a supposed role of “leadership” in Europe.
It is not by chance that the greatest pressure on the Germans so far has been exerted precisely by Boris Johnson. The UK is not part of the EU and therefore does not care about the German role in the bloc, but, on the other hand, it is one of the most important members of NATO and tries to elevate its status in the military alliance as a way of boosting its international image in this post-Brexit context. In fulfilling British requests, Scholz would only be pursuing non-German and non-European interests.
It is obvious that there is also pressure within Europe and within Germany itself, but this pressure belongs to an outdated view of what the role of Germans and Europeans in the Western world should be. Scholz’s opponents apparently still expect a totally submissive stance on NATO from Berlin. This is also a very active thought in Brussels, with a strong tendency to see the entire European continent as a mere annex of the American military umbrella, ignoring that Europe has its own interests, which can often collide with those of the Western military alliance. That is why, in trying to prevent Germany from getting actively involved in the Ukrainian case, Scholz proves to be a really pragmatic politician who prioritizes the interests of his own country, but without the political force necessary to guarantee them.
In addition, there is a topic that needs to be mentioned, which is the German military passiveness of the last seventy years. Although it is active within NATO and has been trying to reform its defense forces in recent years, Berlin remains a virtual-demilitarized country, with an army of low offensive potential, outdated weaponry and a low-investment war industry.
In order to send heavy weapons to Ukraine, Germany would have to start a broad military industrial investment, which would cost it not only millions of euros, but a change in its international image, returning to being a nation of effective participation in international conflicts. Of course, improving its military status is a German right, but it must be taken into account in the name of what Berlin intends to do so. Would it really be strategic to break with seventy years of pacifism to defend the interests of the Maidan Junta in a conflict where Russian victory is highly predictable?
Scholz needs to be strong and active in defending German interests. His posture of passivity and silence demonstrates weakness and damages the image of both him and his country. But his stance must not be to subject Germany even more to foreign interests: on the contrary, he must assert what is in Berlin’s interests and pragmatically defend it, even if he has to clash with the NATO’s plans to do so. If Germany is interested in neutrality and maintaining good relations with Russia, Scholz must not only refrain from adhering to the new Western sanctions but also revoke those taken so far.
Now we have 3 stooges BJ, scholz, zelensky led by a geriatric american fool trying to bleed Russia while their own countries are becoming more anemic..
We acutally are many more. But three passed through You censurship.
We all has decided, what You name as anemic. That not an american thing. We just has changed from the milder hints version, which Putties dont understand.
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck & dives like a duck but doesn’t come back up, it’s warship Moskva. 🦆
If it looks like a dick you need to suck it.
gagarin wrote that and not me.
But it’s as if you wrote it.
Most boring happening ever. I was promised a 3rd world war. Instead it’s too third world countries fighting each other with little Outside interference.
Aww, sad, sad Ukrotard. Too bad the failed Ukrainian CIA project has gone down the toilet, even with the billions in arms and training and support from the US and NATO vassals. Such a shame!
Banderarots thinks that sparking a nuclear conflict will somehow deflect Russia’s attentions (and bombs) away from Ukraine and allow their new fascist world order to fill the wasteland’s vacuum.
In a bizarre twist, while the west wants the Ukraine to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian as the West’s useful idiots, Ukraine wants the West to fight Russia to the last westerner as Ukraine’s useful idiots.
Yes, indeed. The West has involved itself in a fight for its own sanity and it’s losing.
I see none of that. Ukraine has nt kept Minsk 2. Russia has not kept Minsk 2 by a devastating attack, where 50.000 might be killed in destructions hadly with any limits.
Banderas is Stalin propaganda. He made west Ukraine as own state after Russia and Germany lost it. He was defeated by the Poles long before Hitler made some book.
After that the Poles defeated The Russians loosing WW1 for the third time Poland took it. It was a revenge Banderas killed som many in WW2.
After that the revenge came by Stalin eroding so much into artificial chaos too. Here 18,7% Russians never should run the more then 80% Ukras. The Nazis in this only are 2,15% and fertlized by Putin & Co.
But before that Banderas also was jailed in Sachsenhaussen by Gestapo.
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Nice pics Bunny
Poor Ukrotards so sad and angry at Clyde! Failed Ukrainian CIA project goes “whoosh” down the toilet. So many millions of refugees! So many tens of thousands of dead Ukrainian servicemen! So many billions of unserviceable debt to IMF!
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You know what Clyde? This is from the introduction of a Swiss Army Handbook. It bears some truth:
We believe in the power of the heart! We believe that in the end justice and humanity and not power and hatred will triumph! We believe that God is not with the the stronger battalions, but with the fairer cause!
Wir glauben an die Kraft des Herzens! Wir glauben, dass zuletzt Recht und Menschlichkeit und nicht Macht und Hass triumphieren werden! Wir glauben, dass Gott nicht mit den stärkeren Bataillonen, sondern mit der gerechteren Sache ist!
Major von Dach: “Der totale Widerstand”, Page 9
So say the cock-suckers who provide a home to the Bank of International Settlements.
Actually the soldiers are not paid like that.
Gott mit uns? A shitty failed meme, for a shitty failed country, featuring a shitty failed weapon.
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Footage from April 21, 2022 shows a Tank tower/turret, which somehow landed on the 5th floor of a residential building in Mariupol.
https://t.me/intelslava/26299
Russian tanks are constructed to do that having an autolader. They can save one crew member and make the tank smaller and more difficult to hit.
Just as for the old T55 its cheep in production, so You can make many. Quantaty sometimes is better then then quality. If You compare in real fightings keeping it in shape when needed, You find best to the price.
Westerns seperate ammo better from the crew. Their tanks die too but look different from this.
5th floor is very impressing.
Germany too is pivoting away from all products Orcia can offer, not just energy related, but steel and other products too. With Vlads authoritarian regime there are no longer common interests.
With other words, everything the author is trying to achieve is nothing else than hot air.
https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/large-16-9/s3/lead/2017/01/ebay_troll.jpg
Please don’t send any further images from your orc basement, thanks.
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Thats right. Its a propagamnda version for the ones looking at Putin TV only.
It is clear that Us sanctions are intended to benefit US fossil fuel interests, while harming EU industry and citizens with energy, food, fertilizer, and raw materials shortages. The Eu can chose betwen treacherous US ‘friend’ and honest adversary Russia.
Honest orcs? You mean raping honestly, looting honestly, torturing honestly, murdering honestly.
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As you have nothing to add to the topic, I understand that you have to show your true self. An orc. 🤭
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An orc being annoyed with being called an orc. Who would have thought. 😂
There is no prospect whatsoever for the failed Ukrainian CIA project to repel the Russians and retake Donbas and Crimea. It is never going to happen under any circumstances. The imposition of the imbecilic, atavistic Banderpite kookery on the people of Donbas is finished, forever. So you keep on babbling about Orcs to your heart’s content. Emoji’s are free. Crappy old NATO stocks of Warsaw Pact equipment, unfortunately, come with strings attached.
Nice try. Most people by now know how to see if people are lying monsters or not. Down-eyes – back-ears, dark eyes etc that is how the average Ukronazi looks and trolls/orcs are displayed the same way. On the other hand you have many people with eyes shining with honesty telling horrible stories about these monsters, of course it makes sense. Ugly from outside is most of the time ugly from inside.
Honest orc statement to children “ I come to rape your mom I front of you and your dad, who I just shot”
None denies it. Putin even support it very well and better then Biden.
The rest is crap. The growth away from fossils will go much faster as much as it can. Everyone here in Europe has to implement the fossile free plans for EU as decided. germany might reopen some nuke powerplants again.
None here want to be dependent. We try to find gas from anywhere else too.
We chose none. Market economy is like that. This is a down for some years.
You seemes to forget why we willingly act as we do. NO MORE RUSSIA NEOCOLONIALISME AND CONTROL
The USA influence almost always is much better. As minimum we can use the same kind of wind they do.
Thats a temporary change. We also try to get products from the rest of the world.
EU as the only ones actually has a plan for using renewable energy faster and better. Its delayed and will speed up. It will take years. The Germans can reopen their nuke plants for some years.
We dont crash. We produce and has money.
The loosers are the many hardly having money for food and fossils.
Germany is nothing but a stooge to the international F********s – they are the ones behind all the wars and the global extermination of Humanity.
The Russian lover even believe in their own propaganda.
They still see west as one big kombinate, sovkose or kolkhose, where they by splitting up can take parts.
Its only true they in this are the nasty evil big brother always having rights to sladsh the little ones. It seemes to be a family tradition there. It started long time before fathers like Lenin, Trostsky and Stalin was born.
Slashing in icehockey is named after Stalin.
This article is not worth reading. It put Germany as well as Ukraine into a collapsed Russian context.
Ukraine is for 30 years an independent UN country. It has to find ways in their own quagmire contest. So we of course want to help them.
BUT thats something for something. They have to produce better and more to get increased welfare. We are open for that giving helping hands here and there as well as invstments to be a part or affiliated to the Western Economics.
People of course cant buy Our stuff as well as the other way around unless there are produced products and servicing making it.
We also are open for Ukras work here. Little denmark has 10.000 Ukras here mainly in low paid jobs. Even so they bythat are not uinployed anymore and so send money home.
For my own I can only say Merkel was too nice.
Hohols should surrender. Nato is just sending bullshit trash piece of shit equipment that is useless against russian army. If hohol land is waiting for some leopard 2, abrams, f35, f18 they are out of their fucking minds.
The russians still think drones are nasty pets and tows are fire crackers.
They even has numbers of coffins as a secret well kept by Putin.
Everything is better in Russia. In osme kapitalistic countries even the jews are starving in the streets, are naked and lives in groups under small umbrellas given them as children by UNICEF.
Ukrotards crying, and crying. Bye bye failed Ukrainian CIA project. All the twitter memes in the world can’t put the shitpile back together again.
Those and the Russian are the ones dying. I see a determinant cry from them. They are very angry too.
Germany has sent a lot of junk to the Ukraine, most was older, obsolete E. Germ crap. They were still too complicated for the Ukrainians to use, and most are found unused and abandoned.
Thats no correct.
Some more weapons to blow up once across Ukrainian borders. This will support Western arms industry.
Putin did it. He might be a stockholder.
To many countries are exasperated by the Western sociopaths lies, about war, pandemic economy, etc….
Thats because the knowledge level is too low. We western socipaths has not decided that. They have made themself to chosen ones.
Beekeepers there might be a start for some entligtning.
„Scholz needs to be strong and active in defending German interests. „
What a joke! No BRD-politician in power is acting in Germanys interests. On the contrary they are actively destroying it , converting the whole country into LGTB-Shithole-Disneyland. You all know the UN-Paper „Replacement Migration…“, and the Migrationpact don’t you?
Living in the eastern DDR was probably no fun – with the Stasi and everything. But the Soviets did not intend to destroy the Germans as a people, something which is openly articulated (and done) by BRD-Politicians (especially by Members of the Green party).
Befor we start WW3 could we please finish WW2? Germany is only in a cease-fire with the Allied Forces. They could legally continue acts of war tomorrow. The UN-Feindstaatenklausel – Article 53 and 107 are still active.
Germany is still occupied – since over 70 years! The BRD (Federal Republic of Germany) is a hostile administrative construct on German soil. That’s what it is. Delivering Weapons to Ukraine is SUICIDE! No real German with even the most basic understanding would dare to even think about it. I’am so pissed – you have no idea!
Guys, sorry for my lousy English.
It is scam and the Germany knows it is a scam. It is no love for Russia that they would withhold weapons.
IGermany only was united from 1933 and by Hitler.
It now is homogenized well in big states as USA.
This whole “War” is some kind of scam. Have you ever heard of anything more ridiculous in your life then a country that invades another and yet allows unlimited arms to be sent to its adversary? I don’t care if you say that the arms are not going to effect the outcome in the Donbass or even in the South, it is just so ridiculous on its face to the point that no one can believe it.
Russia’s “Warning” that it would bomb supply convoys are not worth a pinch of coon shit because we have had at least half a dozen of these warnings and no one takes them seriously.
Thats not even the half of it. Russia sends Ukraine millions in gas transit fees paid them this month! Germany is using Russian oil and gas and refuses to pay and Russia still refuses to stop sending it. Ukraine who controls the flow and could shut off more than 60% of Russias exports has not slowed the flow one drop its actually gone up and they have even done work on the pipe line during the so called “war” the whole things a sham of super rich ass holes in a pissing match…. the idea of some grand east versus west stop the globalist is pure horse shit.
I dont think so.
Putin has believed in his own propaganda.
As for Tjetjenia 2 they expected no preparation next time too.
Putin expected a walk in with flowers in the streets and hurah hurah as well as russian flags. And yes, those convoys has at least some airsupport.
It is the unlimited bottomless pit of the US$ that is corrupting our world. Then we have the stick threats too. There is too much corruption re our monetary system.
The usual Russian propaganda. You might win the Nobel price for lying. Arabs this time might be number two.
How do we know Schloz isn’t playing a double game? The way I see it, if he really has to play ball, he’ll do it (weapons and material supply) on the quiet and deny any involvement in it
The thing is the Western block want him to commit openly. I don’t envy his position (between a rock and a hard place) though. Either way he takes, he’s screwed
Yes the down low…..Panzerfaust anti tank weapons they announced when they sent how many where etc, then it was old T72 and BMP and D30 and then it was SA7 now its Leopard 1 getting a tune up and the PZH2000 request. Germany is in open war against Russia. Its pretty fuckin clear to the Russian soldiers who have been killed and wounded by these weapons. They dont have to wonder what German motives are they know damn good and well. Its obvious to say its obvious !
Thats fine wirh me.
The motoves are accepted in UN as well. Ukraine for 30 years has been a soverign state. Thats what Your soldiers learn.
They also learn we are not as Putin has told them.
You never debate Putin. Thats because You go to jail right away.
Who wrote this ? Is your head so far up your ass you cant see the stories you have put out for the last 56 days? “maintaining good relations with Russia” honestly I have seen a lot of shitty propaganda in the last two months around this shit show however if this is something you are actually trying to sell…..holy shit! The Finland will kill its own electricity and lets its people live in the dark was a decent effort but this is truly shit!
Germany as we know has made it very clear what they think of Russia….They have sent tons of weapons that have killed many Russian soldiers. Hundreds of Russians are dead today killed by Germany and the German Government! Hundreds more will be killed soon by the many weapons they have sent and the many more they will send. If this is what you call good relations ….what the fuck would bad relations look like. Maybe you have no balls to call it out but its clear the Russian government cares more for the mighty euro than the Russian soldier, its time Russians tossed those fuckers to the curb and all those who promote this bullshit to cover for them! If Putin cant pull his head out of his ass Russia should find someone who will snap his neck while its in there and get it over with. Someone who will tell Germany to fuck off! Cut off the oil and shoot the shit out of any fucking plane train or automobile that moves east of Berlin! Hopefully there is a real leader left somewhere in Russia who is willing to man up and do what needs to be done.
m sure Eritrea, Belarus, Cuba, Assad and NorthI Korea will support You well.
We are many helping Ukraine and the millions of refugees made by Your many friends. This is not about Germany. Its about Ukraine and Belarus.
Its very much about us too. We want Europe back in many smaller states.
And we have seen what was west of Berlin. I crossed it 4 times. A wall to keep people in. A wall telling everything was bad in west even almost everything was much better.
Only light beer was better. I was too young to drink normal beer.
We went by train. There were armed guards for the farmers along tthre railroad tracks. Armed guards…
go green or iron kinght crossses they shoses green weekness joe amerika cook in mouth so you cant here what they say demcrazty they call that …
Ukraine don’t need to join nato, just have a proxy war by US France and Germany and others send weapons and money.
They gave away their nukes for peace. Russia got them.
You seemes to forget ´the Brittish. They and USA are thre mainmakers of the modrrn Ukrainians military forces.
We also take care of the many refugees.
Others are many and most.
The Islamic Republic of Germany is getting rid of old weapon stockpiles, to have an excuse for spending 100 billion $ for new weapons. The bighest spending since WWII. And we all know what happens when you allow Gemany to arm itself.