Scholz under the fire of criticism seeks banks in Paris: Macron will hear Putin
Germany slows down, points its toes, balks at the idea of a military conflict with Russia on its doorstep. He pretends to ignore the clatter of sabers and repeats his mantra: “If there is a violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the costs will be very high.” In the meantime, however, exporting “lethal weapons” remains out of the question. And to get out of the isolation it risks ending up in, after the European allies have competed to offer support to Ukraine in terms of weapons systems, Berlin seeks and finds the side of the French ally. President Emmanuel Macron yesterday arrived in the German capital to reiterate that there is “unity” on Ukraine between the two countries: “we are both working on a de-escalation of tensions”, for a dialogue with Moscow at all levels and formats possible. On Friday he will speak with Vladimir Putin, while this morning we will start in Paris with the first meeting of the Normandy Format at the level of diplomatic advisors. It is the first time since 2019 that representatives of Russia and Ukraine have returned to sit at the same table, with the mediation of France and Germany. The intention is to restart an interrupted discourse and try “to impress a positive dynamic” on concrete issues, Macron explained at a press conference.
But the criticisms of the Berlin government bounce back in the German press, especially on the issue of arms exports. Three days ago, Kiev’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he was “disappointed by Germany’s continued refusal to authorize the supply of defensive weapons”, in an interview with Welt, and the next day in Bild the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, accused Berlin of “treason” and “omission” of help. Leaving aside the fact that the major criticisms find space in the newspapers of the Axel-Springer group, such as Welt and Bild, which do not lack an opportunity to trim down the social-democratic-led government, it is true that the pressure on Berlin is increasing day by day by the states. neighbors. As in the story of the 9 Soviet-type D-30 howitzers of the former GDR army that Estonia would like to give to Ukraine but cannot. To do this, German authorization would be needed. Great embarrassment in Berlin was then aroused by the statements over the weekend by the vice-admiral of the navy Kay-Achim Schoenbach. During a public meeting in India, the senior official called the fear of Russian aggression in Ukraine “nonsense”. «Crimea is lost and will never return», Europe «needs Russia against China», and Vladimir Putin just wants «to be treated with respect». Faced with the tsunami caused by so much naivete, the soldier was forced to resign, accepted in record time by the holder of the Defense Christine Lambrecht.
The solidarity offered by Berlin to Ukraine is of a different kind, Scholz recalled yesterday. It takes the form of ensuring that the country remains land of transit for Russian gas, guaranteeing the extension of its contracts, it is implemented in economic relations and in the future prospects of collaboration on renewables and hydrogen energy and on the military level, in supporting the costs of a field hospital. “Ukraine knows it can count on Germany as a partner,” Scholz reiterated, ignoring criticism from Kiev. The reasons for Berlin’s caution about Russia have ancient but pragmatic roots. “Russia is a difficult partner but it is not an enemy of Europe” reiterated the leader of the Bavarian conservatives, Markus Soeder in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, giving voice to an awareness rooted in both the conservative and social democratic fields. Germany has a strong commercial and economic exchange with Russia and in terms of gas “no one takes advantage of Russian gas as much as Germany” so much so that “not even in the darkest times of the Cold War was the energy link between the Soviet Union questioned and Germany, ”Soeder added on sanctions. The “restrictive measures”, in fact, are the real reason for the German caution. “The hardest club is not always the smartest sword,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Brussels, commenting on the sanctions. For example, the option of cutting Russian banks out of international payment transactions operating through service provider Swift scares German entrepreneurs, Handelsblatt reports.
Meanwhile, Croatia is pulling out and announcing that it will not participate in NATO operations in Eastern Europe but will withdraw its contingent from Poland.
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