After the President of France announced his readiness to send troops to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed the sentiments of his country, which has always been considered a stable partner of Kyiv. The highlight was his video message, which has already been called a slap in the face of Paris and a promise to the dictator in the Kremlin.
Public statement
Macron’s speech about providing aid through the deployment of French troops in Ukraine caused a stir both in Russia and far beyond its borders. Such a radical statement caused a mixed reaction in Europe. Scholz said that NATO will not be a belligerent in this war.
First of all, this can be considered a clear disagreement with the position of the President of France, and secondly, evidence that German-French relations continue to deteriorate. Importantly, the French foreign minister reported that Macron was actually talking about the fact that aid could be useful in demining, which is just below the threshold for participation in the war. It should be noted that both European officials are betting on different things:
– The French president “plays the card” of strategic ambiguity to keep Russia under tension;
– The German chancellor is putting all the dots, leaving no room for Europe to raise rates.
He does everything so that Putin cannot pick up on any of his words or interpret them in his way.
The difference in worldviews
The reasons for this difference lie in the methods of conducting politics:
– Macron is a political prodigy. He won the presidency thanks to the party he created and continues to act confidently, often not coordinating with his European neighbors.
– Scholz is an administrative specialist who has come a long way in party positions. He makes important decisions only after resolving all possible conflicts.
Another reason is the public mood in Germany. The Germans are really afraid that the war could spill over into the territory of Europe, so they consider supporting Ukraine by providing cruise missiles an unjustified risk.
The proximity of elections
It should also be remembered that in June there will be elections to the European Parliament, in the fall – elections in the eastern German federal states, and next year – federal elections. Therefore, many called Scholz’s speech the first election campaign event.
If a politician wants to continue his political life, then the position of opposing aid to Ukraine makes sense. Therefore, he makes even those statements for which he has no competence. For example, he stated that he would not send German soldiers to Ukraine. Although, the parliament decided on this. But what can’t you do in pursuit of the votes of the electorate?
