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The answer is not expected to satisfy German leaders.
ironic reversal
For the two leaders, the irony will become sickeningly obvious. It was Scholz who took the lead from Biden in the early stages of the war. Germany had been the slowest in providing military aid to Ukraine, but it was Biden who urged the Scholz administration to provide more aid. At the time, Germany refused to send heavy weapons to Ukraine until the United States and other NATO allies sent heavy weapons first, fearing it would become embroiled in a spiraling conflict with President Vladimir Putin.
That dynamic hasn’t completely disappeared. Despite repeated requests from Ukraine, Scholz has so far refused to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, concerned that the Ukrainians could use them to attack Russian targets. They refuse to provide cruise missiles. Meanwhile, Britain and France provided cruise missiles.
Now, the burden on Scholz to take charge is increasing. Germany is the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, having provided 17.1 billion euros in aid as of October last year, according to figures compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. In contrast, the UK provided 6.57 billion euros, while France provided just 540 million euros.
Given these numbers, Scholz has called on European countries to provide more support to Ukraine, and despite Germany’s previous support, it has not shaken off its reputation as a slacker on the Ukraine issue. He also expressed his frustration.
In an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit, he said he was “frustrated by the criticism that Germany constantly faces because the German government is not doing enough and appears to be reluctant to act”. “There is,” he said. “We have done more than other EU countries, which is why I keep asking people on the phone to do more.”
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