Germany Scholz’s criticism in Germany intensifies, but Chancellor fears supply of armored vehicles to Ukraine leading to nuclear war

German chancellor Olaf Scholzin criticism is growing both in Germany and abroad.

It is no longer just a question of Germany’s unwillingness to immediately stop buying Russian natural gas, but also of Germany’s unwillingness to send Ukraine heavy weapons, while many other Western countries have decided to give Ukraine one. The criticism is already starting to be so great that it can be called a political scandal.

This week revealedthat the Office of the Federal Chancellor apparently removed several heavy weapons from the list of arms aid to Ukraine.

Scholz responded to a review of Der Spiegel magazine in a long interview on Friday.

According to Scholz, Germany’s hesitation in sending heavy weapons to Ukraine is linked to an obligation to prevent NATO from engaging in direct military confrontation with Russia. It could lead to World War III, Scholz said.

Scholz was asked how he thought the supply of tanks to Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war. He replied that there was no rule book on when Germany could be considered a party to the war.

“That’s why it’s all the more important that we consider each step very carefully and coordinate things carefully with others. Preventing escalation against NATO is my top priority, ”Scholz said, continuing that because of this, he doesn’t care about opinion polls or let himself get annoyed by harsh criticism.

“The consequences of any mistake could be dramatic.”

Welt magazine in turn told on Fridaythat Scholz will soon have to make a clear decision: either he will allow Germany to send heavy weapons to Ukraine or he will ban shipments.

These are 100 Marder assault tanks, which Rheinmetall, a defense equipment company, has applied to the state for permission to sell to Ukraine. The Marders were removed from active use by the German Defense Forces a few years ago and are no longer used for training.

According to Welt, the Marders could be delivered to Ukraine quickly if the parliamentary committee deciding on the sale of defense equipment gives permission. Chancellor Scholz is a member of the committee.

In the past, the Committee has granted permits to other countries to send heavy weapons manufactured in Germany to Ukraine.

Scholz has said in the past that Germany cannot help Ukraine any more because the Defense Forces no longer have extra supplies in stock or equipment that the Ukrainians could not use without extensive training.

In a long interview with Der Spiegel, Scholz was asked why he had not previously said that the German government’s hesitation in sending heavy weapons was due to the threat of nuclear war. Scholz replied that such simplifications would not help anyone.

Scholz also defended its decision to phase out the purchase of Russian natural gas over the coming years, not immediately.

“I simply don’t see how a ban on gas purchases would end the war. If Putin had listened to the economic arguments, he would never have started this crazy war. ”

According to Scholz, buying gas cannot be stopped just because it would lead to a huge economic crisis, “the loss of millions of jobs and factories that would never open their doors again”.

Should Germany and Europe face a major economic crisis, it would also make it more difficult to finance the future reconstruction of Ukraine, Scholz told Der Spiegel.

On Friday The Dutch government in neighboring Germany has announced that it intends to phase out the use of Russian fossil fuels by the end of the year.

About 44 percent of the Netherlands’ energy use is natural gas, but only about 15 percent of the country’s natural gas comes from Russia, Reuters reports.

To stop buying Russian gas, the Netherlands plans to spend more than € 600 million to get energy companies to fill one of Europe’s largest underground gas storage facilities in Bergermeer before next winter. The storage capacity is 4.1 billion cubic meters of gas.

At the same time, the Dutch government announced a bunch of new initiatives to try to reduce energy consumption and switch to zero-emission energy sources.