Now, more than two months later, it would be more accurate to say that the sleeping giant woke up, but hit the snooze button and fell asleep again. Germany was initially at the forefront of responding to Russian aggression, but despite the horrific revelations of Russia’s war crimes, it embarrassedly and inexcusably sanctioned both its supplies to Ukraine and its sanctions against Russia. We are falling behind many of our allies.
Germany is not doing nothing. It sent a significant amount of munitions to Ukraine. Thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missilesHowever, military aid to Ukraine has lagged behind not only the United States and Britain, but also tiny Estonia. As a percentage of gross domestic product, Germany’s contribution looks even more stingy: 11 countries do more than Europe’s largest economy.
Germany has been reluctant to send heavy weapons such as tanks, howitzers, drones and long-range air defenses to Ukraine at a time when Ukraine desperately needs heavy weapons to win the battle for the Donbass region. . The Social Democrats who rule Germany have no armored vehicles or artillery to spare in their armed forces, Ukrainians are not sophisticated enough to use German weapons, and heavy weapons will provoke Russia. After heavy pressure from allies, Germany finally agreed on Tuesday to hand over 50 anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine. “I am doing everything I can to prevent an escalation that could lead to World War III,” Scholz told German news magazine Der Spiegel. “Nuclear War Is Impossible”
Scholz shamelessly amplifies Russian propaganda: Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to hint at his nuclear weapons to discourage the West from aiding its victims. Is the Chancellor seriously suggesting that Germany’s NATO allies are sending heavy weapons to Ukraine and risking nuclear war? The best way to avoid world war is to stop Russia in Ukraine. If Putin wins this war, he will be encouraged to carry out further attacks on neighboring countries, including NATO members.
Worse than Germany’s unwillingness to increase aid to Ukraine is its unwillingness to stop all energy imports from Russia. Berlin plans to stop buying Russian oil and coal this year, but has no immediate plans to close the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline. Despite Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, Germany has actually increased its reliance on Russian gas over the past decade. Today she is 55%. Every day Germany pays Russia about $220 million for energy. That’s over $80 billion a year to fund Russia’s war machine.
Germany committed genocide in Ukraine during World War II and vowed “never again”.
Once upon a time the Germans were able to convince themselves that trade with Russia would soften their bearishness. It was a premise. Underneath the surface, of course, there was a sordid current as many of Germany’s elite (most notorious ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder) rose from Kremlin tycoon to wealth.
Germany can no longer claim to be somewhat idealistic in its dealings with Buch’s murderers. Schroeder became an outcast in his own country. But the German government, which has become dependent on cheap Russian energy, is now too painful economically to cut itself off, he argues.
In fact, Germany can end Russia’s unscrupulous dependence on gas only by correcting the worst mistake of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Germany’s nuclear reactors were crippled by a combination of earthquake and tsunami. Germany once had 17 nuclear power plants. There are now only three remaining and they are scheduled to close by the end of the year.
Shutting down the nuclear industry would not only make it harder to shut down Russia’s war machine, but it would also slow global warming. Germany’s per capita carbon footprint is almost double that of France, a country expanding rather than shutting down its nuclear industry. Germany urgently needs to keep its three remaining nuclear power plants operational and reopen the ones it has shut down. In doing so, Russia’s immoral dependence on gas imports can be radically reduced or even ended.
Given that nuclear energy is much cleaner and safer than fossil fuels, this seems like a no-brainer. But the Scholz government, which relies on a coalition that includes the Greens, has refused to take this important step. Instead, it prefers to subsidize Russian war crimes. Germany should be ashamed.
