Moral tanks of Olaf Scholz

Dubious master of getting out of the water dry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is gradually becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of the whole world. The story of Leopard for Ukraine acquires not only security character, but also, from the presentation of Germany leader, moral undertones. At least, Brussels offices comment on the tank issue quite interestingly: "German tanks are fighting Russia again. A moral issue. Understandable from a historical point of view. I would like Germans to sympathize more with Poland these days. Not to mention Ukraine. Didn't German tanks kill Ukrainians 80 years ago? Now they can protect them from barbaric Russian aggression."

Head of the Bundestag defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, also spoke from the perspective of history: "History is looking at us, and Germany, unfortunately, has again demonstrated its inability. The way German Chancellor Olaf Scholz communicates on this topic with the public is simply a disaster."

"Scholz actually has a specific morality. He revealed his true intentions, or rather, his irritation, by demanding that the US provide Kyiv with Abrams as a guarantee of Leopard's continued presence in the steppes of Ukraine."

But Scholz actually has a specific morality. He revealed his true intentions, or rather, his irritation, by demanding that the US provide Kyiv with Abrams as a guarantee of Leopard's continued presence in the steppes of Ukraine.

This is Scholz. He is also a shopkeeper here. Motives are clear. Like his predecessor, Frau Merkel, the German chancellor would like to see himself among the leaders of Europe. However, the Russian-Ukrainian war turned the continental chessboard upside down, actually strengthening Washington's influence. Forced refusal of Russian energy carriers, with which Moscow has traditionally blackmailed the European Union, and with which Berlin made convenient and, most importantly, profitable deals, opened floodgates for the export of American liquefied gas to Europe.

Americans also dominate in the security sphere, sometimes even somewhat brutally encouraging NATO allies (and Germany as well) to spend their defense budgets on helping Ukraine.

"The most ardent "russophobes" of Europe - countries of its eastern flank - are now rallying around the USA, not Germany. Since they were the ones who suffered the greatest wrongs from Soviet-Russian rule, and therefore they would not want to go through these bloody circles of hell again. It came to the idea of ​​creating an alternative coalition to support Warsaw, a coalition that would leave Germany on the sidelines of anti-Putin efforts."

The most ardent "russophobes" of Europe - countries of its eastern flank - are now rallying around the USA, not Germany.  Since they were the ones who suffered 

the greatest wrongs from Soviet-Russian rule, and therefore they would not want to go through these bloody circles of hell again.  It came to the idea of ​​creating an alternative coalition to support Warsaw, a coalition that would leave Germany on the sidelines of anti-Putin efforts. "If Germany does not agree to Leopard, then we will build a smaller coalition of states ready to share their modern tanks with Ukraine. We will not passively watch Ukraine bleed," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki emphasized the other day. He also did not begin to wrap reasons for Berlin's behavior in diplomatic wrappings: Germans "fell into a trap they set for themselves" for years, turning a blind eye to the arbitrariness of Russians not only in the energy market of the Old World.

"Germany, despite everything, hopes for the fantastic option to end the war by "reconciling" Ukraine with Russia. Fantastic because Moscow demands recognition of its occupied territories, which Kyiv will not agree to under any conditions."

Leopard, among other things, in passing became a test of the combat capability of the Bundeswehr. It turned out that the ministry does not even know for sure how many of these "beasts" are in the army boxes, and how combat-ready they are. Verbal maneuvers around the ban on making "beasts", so that it is not interpreted as readiness to share with Ukraine, cannot withstand criticism. NATO circles suspected that Germany might prove to be the weakest link on the eastern borders of the Alliance. In order to smooth out the unpleasant taste somehow, the new head of defense Boris Pistorius ordered to count armored vehicles as "preparation for the day that may come." It also hints at Berlin's true moral position 11 months after the day that has already come.

However, returning to the "morality" of Scholz and his cabinet, I will suggest that Germany, despite everything, hopes for the fantastic option to end the war by "reconciling" Ukraine with Russia. Fantastic because Moscow demands recognition of its occupied territories, which Kyiv will not agree to under any conditions. But if this suddenly happened, then Chancellor Scholz would have a trump card for Kremlin. Like, we didn't "morally" strengthen Ukraine, so again "peace-friendship-chewing gum". And cheap gas...

About the author: Ihor Hulyk is a journalist, editor-in-chief of the website "Espreso.West".

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