Scholz’s visit to Kiev on Monday, and especially the one to take place in Moscow on Tuesday, represents an opportunity for Germany to adopt a clearer and firmer position on relations with the Kremlin. It is essential that Europe speaks with one voice, clear and defined. As with Macron’s trip, no miracles can be expected either, but this tour may reinforce the idea that European leaders are willing to play the diplomatic card with Putin to the end.
The Ukraine crisis is about the very future of the European Union because it affects its borders and its security architecture. The negotiation requires close collaboration with the rest of the Western partners —especially with the US—, but also a common position that forces Europe to speak with one voice. It is precisely there where the ambiguity of Germany is out of tune, less convinced of the urgency of sharing a common criterion. His efforts to develop a coherent policy with Russia are not only testing the government coalition led by Olaf Scholz, but also Europe’s credibility in shaping a position against Moscow. So far, Germany, which imports 55% of its gas from Russia, seems more concerned about the impact sanctions on Moscow will have on its own economy than showing itself to be a reliable partner within the Western bloc. In its defense it can be said that, for the time being, of all the supposed economic measures that will entail “massive consequences and a severe cost” for Russia, only the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has been discussed (especially by the US). which directly affects German interests.
Unlike France, which acts as a military power, the complex legacy of World War II makes Germany look more like an economic giant than a geostrategic one within the continent. Another conjunctural factor could be added to this: Macron is on the verge of presidential elections, and his role in the Ukrainian crisis is serving to reinforce his political profile with a view to the French electorate. On the contrary, the coalition led by Scholz is in the phase of settling down and, very especially, of establishing its foreign policy, something that is serving Putin to exploit the contradictions of the new Executive. The new Green Minister, Annalena Baerbock, maintains a much tougher position than that of her predecessor, the Social Democrat Heiko Maas, a fervent defender of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The low profile of Scholz and still less the statements of the former Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, one of the greatest lobbyists of Putin in Germany, who has recently interceded on behalf of the autocrat by contaminating the position of his own party.
#German #Balances